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THE   DESTROYER 


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THE    DESTROYER 

A  TALE  OF  INTERNATIONAL  INTRIGUE 


BY 

BURTON   E.  STEVENSON 

Author  of  "The  Holladay  Case,"  **The  Marathon  Mystery,' 
"The  Mystery  of  the  Boule  Cabinet,"  etc. 


NEW  YORK 

DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 

192 1 


By  DODD,  mead  &  COMPANT 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTBt  PAGE 

I  The  Twenty-fifth  of  September    .     .       i 

II     France  in  Mourning 14 

III  Two  Great  Men  Meet 31 

IV  The  Allies  at  Work 47 

V  At  the  Cafe  des  Voyageurs  ....     60 

VI  The  Mysterious   Signals       ....     77 

VII     The  Hut  in  the  Grove S8 

VIII  The  Second   Installation     .      .      .      .108 

IX     Checkmate         124 

X    The  Land  of  Freedom 137 

XI     Shipmates 147 

XII     Under  Russian  Rule 158 

XIII  In  the  Wireless  House 170 

XIV  The   Message 182 

XV    A  Word  of  Warning 196 

XVI    A  Charge  to  Keep 208 

XVII     The  First   Conference 221 

XVIII     The  Substitute    Sentry 239 

XIX  The  Second  Conference      ....  256 

XX  The  Prince  Seeks  Diversion     .     .     .  269 

XXI  On  the  Education  of  Princes  .     .     .283 

XXII  The  Events  of  Monday       ....  296 

XXIII     The  Landing 310 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXIV    Pachmann    Scores 321 

X:?^V    The  Trap 334 

XXVI  The  Turn  oh  the  Screw     ....  346 

XXVII    The  Voice  at  the  Door 357 

XXVIII  Crochard,  the  Invincible!    ....  370 

XXIX    The   Escape 382 

XXX    Council  of  War 397 

XXXI    The  Alliance  Ends 407 

XXXII  Strasbourg    .     .     .     .     .,     .     .,    .     .  420 


THE   DESTROYER 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  TWENTY-FIFTH  OF  SEPTEMBER 

Monsieur  Aristide  Brisson,  the  fat  lltde  proprie- 
tor of  the  Hotel  du  Nord  —  a  modest  house  facing 
the  Place  Puget  at  Toulon  —  turned  uneasily  in  his 
sleep,  as  though  fretted  by  a  disturbing  dream;  then 
he  awoke  with  a  start  and  rubbed  his  eyes.  A  glance 
at  the  dark  windows  showed  that  the  dawn  was  yet 
far  distant,  and  he  was  about  to  turn  over  and  go 
thankfully  to  sleep  again  when  a  sudden  remembrance 
leaped  into  his  brain.  In  an  instant,  he  had  bounded 
from  the  bed,  struck  a  match,  and,  after  a  look  at  his 
watch,  lighted  a  candle.  Then  he  returned  to  the 
bed,  and,  without  compunction,  grasped  the  plump 
arm  of  Madame  Brisson,  who  was  sleeping  peace- 
fully, and  shook  her  roughly. 

"  Wake,  Gabrielle,  wake  I  **  he  cried  —  in  French, 
of  course. 

Madame  Brisson,  who  was  also  little  and  fat  with 
a  white  skin  that  was  her  pride,  opened  her  eyes, 
stared  an  instant,  and  then  sat  up  in  bed. 

**  Heavens,  Brisson  I  **  she  cried,  her  hand  to  her 
throat.  "What  is  it?  What  has  happened?  Have 
you  illness? '* 


^  :-••  •••'•*••  THE  DESTROYER 

"  No,  no !  "  said  her  husband,  who  was  struggling 
with  his  trousers.     '*  But  rise,  quickly!  " 

Madame  Brisson  glanced  at  the  dark  windows. 

"  I  do  not  understand,"  she  said. 

"  Ah,  Gabrlelle,"  said  her  husband  reproachfully, 
**  I  should  never  have  believed  you  could  have  for- 
gotten! It  Is  to-day,  at  sunrise,  that  our  guests  de- 
part! " 

*' Heavens!"  cried  Madame  Brisson  again,  and 
she,  too,  bounded  from  the  bed  and  began  to  don  her 
clothes  with  trembling  fingers.  *'  That  I  should  have 
forgotten!  Forgive  me,  Arlstidel  What  hour  is 
it?" 

"  It  is  almost  four  and  a  half.  At  five,  the  coffee 
must  be  ready." 

"  It  shall  be !  "  Madame  promised,  and  hurried 
from  the  room,  to  complete  her  toilet  In  the  kitchen. 

"  Fortunately,"  M.  Brisson  muttered  to  himself, 
"the  fire  Is  laid!" 

Then,  having  held  his  collar  to  the  light  and  de- 
cided that  it  was  clean  enough,  he  buttoned  it  about 
his  neck,  attached  his  shiny  ready-made  tie,  donned 
his  little  white  coat,  picked  up  the  candle  and  left  the 
room.  Passing  along  the  corridor  to  the  front  of  the 
house,  he  tapped  at  a  door. 

"Who  Is  there?  "  called  a  rough  voice. 

"  Your  coffee  will  be  ready  in  twenty  minutes,  sir," 
said  Brisson. 


TWENTY-FIFTH  OF  SEPTEMBER       3 

*'  Very  well;  and  thank  you,"  answered  the  voice, 
and  Brisson  descended  to  the  dining-room,  opened 
the  shutters,  lighted  the  lamp,  and  spread  the  cloth. 

He  was  contemplating  his  handiwork,  his  head  to 
one  side,  when  heavy  steps  sounded  on  the  stair,  and 
a  moment  later  two  men  entered.  They  were  both 
of  middle-age,  somewhat  stocky  and  heavily-built, 
their  hair  close-cropped,  their  faces  smooth-shaven 
and  deeply  tanned.  They  had,  indeed,  that  indu- 
rated look  which  only  years  of  exposure  to  wind  and 
rain  can  give,  except  that  their  upper  lips  were  some 
shades  lighter  than  the  remainder  of  the  face,  betray- 
ing the  fact  that  they  had,  until  recently,  been  pro- 
tected by  a  moustache.  They  were  dressed  In  some- 
what shabby  tweed  walking-suits,  and  wore  heavy 
well-worn  shoes.  At  this  moment,  each  carried  In 
his  hand  a  little  knapsack. 

M.  Brisson  greeted  them  bent  double,  hoped  that 
they  had  slept  well,  foretold  a  fine  day,  and  assured 
them  that  coffee  would  be  ready  In  a  moment. 

"  Our  bags  are  in  our  room,  properly  labelled," 
said  one  of  them,  finding  his  words  with  apparent 
difficulty  and  accenting  them  most  queerly.  ''  They 
are  to  go  to  Nice,  where  we  will  claim  them." 

*'  I  will  attend  to  it.  And  you,  sirs?  "  asked  Bris- 
son. 

"  It  is  our  intention  to  walk." 

"  By  way  of  the  Cornice?  " 


4  THE  DESTROYER 

"  Yes." 

**  You  will  find  it  a  most  beautiful  road;  even  in 
your  own  America  you  will  find  nothing  more  beauti- 
ful. And  how  fortunate  that  you  will  have  so  Rnt 
a  day  I     Where  will  you  rest  to-night?  " 

*'  At  Frejus,  probably.'' 

**  A  beautiful  town,  well  worth  a  visit.  Permit 
me  to  recommend  you,  sirs,  that  you  stop  at  the 
Hotel  du  Midi.  The  proprietor  is  a  relative  of 
mine  —  a  nephew,  in  fact;  he  will  treat  you  well." 

"  Thank  you,"  responded  the  stranger,  and  at  that 
moment  Madame  Brisson  entered,  flushed  but  tri- 
umphant, bearing  a  tray  on  which  was  a  small  pitcher 
of  very  black  coffee,  a  large  pitcher  of  very  hot  milk, 
a  plate  of  rolls  and  "  crescents,"  some  pats  of  butter 
and  a  jar  of  honey.  She  placed  the  tray  upon  the 
table,  greeted  the  travellers  with  the  brightest  of 
smiles,  and  then,  as  she  flitted  about  attending  to 
their  wants,  M.  Brisson  retired  to  his  bureau  to  put 
the  finishing  touches  to  the  bill. 

This  was  a  weighty  business.  It  was  not  often 
that  the  little  Hotel  du  Nord  had  the  privilege  of 
entertaining  guests  from  America,  and  M.  Brisson 
was  thriftily  determined  to  make  the  most  of  it.  The 
price  of  the  room,  unfortunately,  had  been  agreed 
upon  in  advance ;  but  there  were  the  meals  and,  above 
all,   the   extras  —  baggage,   lights,   attendance,   one 


TWENTY-FIFTH  OF  SEPTEMBER       5 

special  breakfast  at  five  oVlock  —  one  must  be  paid 
for  rising  in  the  middle  of  the  night!  —  confitures, 
bath  —  had  there  been  a  bath?  No  matter  I  Wine, 
cigars  —  M.  Brisson  licked  his  lips  as  he  put  them 
all  in.  Then  he  made  a  mistake  of  five  francs  in 
the  addition,  and  the  thing  was  done.  He  contem- 
plated it  for  a  moment  with  satisfaction,  then  folded^ 
it,  slipped  it  into  his  pocket,  and  returned  to  the 
breakfast-room. 

His  guests  were  just  rising  from  the  table,  and  a 
glance  told  him  that  they  had  done  but  scant  justice 
to  the  meal  —  fully  half  the  rolls  remained  uneaten  I 
They  were  in  haste,  then;  so  much  the  better!  He 
assisted  them  to  adjust  their  knapsacks. 

"  And  now  the  bill,''  said  one  of  them,  taking  out 
his  purse. 

M.  Brisson  presented  it  with  a  bow.  The  other 
took  it,  glanced  at  the  total,  and  his  face  flushed.  He 
opened  his  lips  to  speak,  closed  them  again,  and  his 
eyes  ran  up  the  column  of  figures.  The  flush  deep- 
ened, and  again  he  opened  his  lips;  but  when  he  met 
Brisson's  ferret-like  gaze,  he  again  closed  them. 
Without  a  word,  he  extracted  from  his  purse  a  note 
for  a  hundred  francs  and  placed  it  in  Brisson's  hand. 

**  You  may  keep  the  change,'*  he  said. 

"Oh,  thanks,  sir!  "  Brisson  cried,  and  he  bowed 
again  to  hide  the  triumphant  smile  upon  his  lips. 


6  THE  DESTROYER 

"Many  thanks!  A  pleasant  journey!  And  when 
you  come  again  to  Toulon,  remember  the  Hotel  du 
Nord!^' 

The  other  nodded  glumly,  and  started  for  the  door, 
followed  by  his  companion.  Brisson  and  his  wife 
accompanied  them,  again  bade  them  adieu,  and  stood 
for  a  moment  watching  them,  as  they  went  down 
the  street  In  the  direction  of  the  quays. 

"  A  hundred  francs !  "  said  Madame  Brisson,  and 
gazed  with  veneration  at  her  lord  and  master.  "  But 
what  was  your  bill,  then,  Aristlde  ?  " 

"  Ninety-six  francs,"  said  Brisson,  sourly,  "  and, 
for  a  moment,  I  thought  the  swine  was  going  to  pro- 
test it!  " 

"  If  they  had  not  been  Americans,"  began 
Ma'dame. 

"Americans!"  burst  in  Brisson.  "Bah!  They 
are  not  Americans  I  .  Germans,  perhaps,  or  Austri- 
ans;  but  Americans,  no!  Those  men,  Gabrlelle, 
have  something  to  conceal !  "  and  Brisson,  frowning 
darkly,  went  back  Into  the  house. 

Meanwhile  the  two  pedestrians  made  their  way 
rapidly  along  the  dark  and  silent  street  without  ex- 
changing a  word.  There  was  in  their  faces  a  strange 
excitement,  and  they  stared  straight  ahead,  as  though 
they  <lared  not  meet  each  other's  eyes.  At  the  end 
of  a  few  moments,  they  came  out  upon  the  quays. 


TWENTY-FIFTH  OF  SEPTEMBER       7 

Here  the  darkness  of  the  narrow  street  gave  place 
to  the  grey  of  the  approaching  dawn,  and  one  of 
them  took  his  watch  from  his  pocket  and  looked  at  it. 

"  Nine  minutes !  "  he  said  in  guttural  English,  and 
in  a  voice  strangely  thick,  as  with  some  deep  and 
barely  repressed  emotion. 

The  other  nodded,  and  with  common  accord  they 
turned  to  the  right  toward  the  great  basin,  where 
three  or  four  men-of-war  lay  at  anchor.  The  light 
increased  from  minute  to  minute,  the  horizon  turned 
from  grey  to  pearly  white,  and  over  the  hills  to  the 
east  a  golden  halo  marked  the  spot  where  the  sun 
would  rise.  They  stopped  to  look  at  it,  and  then, 
stepping  back  into  the  recess  of  a  doorway,  directed 
their  gaze  toward  a  great  battleship,  anchored  per- 
haps thret;  hundred  yards  away.  As  the  minutes 
passed,  they  .eemed  scarcely  to  breathe,  and  their  lips 
were  twitching  with  nervous  excitement. 

Suddenly  over  the  trees  shot  a  long  ray  of  yellow 
light,  gilding  the  house-tops,  gilding  the  mast-heads 
of  the  vessels  in  the  harbour;  and  then,  as  though 
in  answer  to  a  signal,  came  a  muffled  roar  from  the 
anchored  battleship.  There  was  an  instant's  silence, 
then  the  shrill  voices  of  sentries  sounding  the  alarm, 
the  whirring  of  a  gong  .  .  . 

A  second  roar  drowned  all  lesser  sounds,  and  then 
the  high,  thin  notes  of  a  bugle  echoed  across  the 
water.     The  deck  of  the  ship  was  alive  with  men; 


8  THE  DESTROYER 

from  her  open  ports  wisps  of  angry  smoke  swirled 
upward  into  the  morning  air  .  .  . 

Above  the  babble  of  excited  voices,  rose  a  shout 
of  command,  the  bugle  shrilled  "  Sauve  qui  peut ! 
Sauve  qui  peut  I  Sauve  qui  peut  I  "  and  the  crew- 
began  leaping  over  the  side;  and  then,  straight 
in  front  of  where  stood  the  breathless  watchers,  a 
mighty  column  of  black  smoke  leaped  high  into  the 
air,  mushroomed  and  drifted  slowly  away  before  the 
breeze.  At  the  same  instant  came  a  frightful,  rend- 
ing crash,  which  seemed  to  shake  the  earth,  and  a 
foam-capped  wave  swept  across  the  harbour  and 
dashed  angrily  against  the  quay.  For  one  tense  in- 
stant, all  nature  held  her  breath,  and  then  came  the 
splash  and  clatter  of  debris  falling  into  the  water  and 
on  the  docks,  the  rattle  of  broken  glass  from  the 
houses  along  the  quay;  and  finally,  quivering 
through  the  air,  rose  the  shrill,  inhuman  cry  of  men 
in  mortal  anguish. 

The  smoke,  drifting  lazily  away,  disclosed  a  mass 
of  twisted  wreckage  where,  a  moment  before.  La 
Liberte,  the  pride  of  the  French  navy,  had  swung  at 
anchor. 

"  Ach  GottI  Es  ist  doch  wahrP'  breathed  one 
of  the  men,  and  stared  rigid,  fascinated;  but  the 
other  laid  a  trembling  hand  upon  his  arm. 

"  We  must  hasten !  "  he  whispered.  "  We  must 
not  stay  here ! '' 


TWENTY-FIFTH  OF  SEPTEMBER       9 

"  Truel  "  agreed  the  other,  and  with  a  last  glance 
at  the  wreck,. strode  away  along  the  quay. 

Already  the  city  was  awake;  already  frightened 
faces  were  peering  from  shattered  windows,  half- 
clothed  men  were  bursting  Into  the  streets,  and  voices 
shrill  with  fear  were  demanding  to  know  what  had 
occurred.  But  our  travellers  heeded  them  not.  At 
the  first  corner  they  separated,  and  one  of  them  made 
\his  way  rapidly  up  into  the  town,  while  the  other 
hastened  along  a  dark  and  narrow  lane  parallel  with 
the  quay,  and  stopped  at  last  before  a  tall,  decrepit 
house,  whose  plaster,  black  with  age,  was  flaking 
from  its  walls.  On  the  door-step  sat  a  girl  of  eight- 
een or  twenty,  a  dark  shawl  about  her  head,  from 
whose  shadow  her  face  peered,  strangely  white. 

"  Is  it  by  this  way  one  gains  the  Frejus  road?" 
he  asked  in  English. 

"  Straight  on  to  the  end  of  the  street,  then  to  the 
left,"  answered  the  girl  in  the  same  tongue,  speak- 
ing it  readily  and  without  accent. 

**  Thank  you.  This  for  your  father,**  and  thrust- 
ing his  hand  quickly  into  his  pocket,  he  drew  out  a 
fat  envelope,  sealed  with  many  seals,  placed  it  in  the 
.   glrKs  hand,  and  hurried  on. 

An  hour  later,  the  two  travellers,  reunited,  Toulon 
well  behind  them,  strode  along  a  beautiful  road  skirt- 
ing the  Mediterranean,  which  stretched,  a  sheet  of 
greenish-blue,   away  to  the  south.     But,   strangely 


lo  THE  DESTROYER 

enough,  they  did  not  even  glance  at  this  panorama. 
Instead,  they  walked  with  heads  down,  as  though 
still  fearing  to  meet  each  other's  eyes. 

Back  in  the  narrow  Rue  du  Plasson,  the  girl,  her 
face  still  very  white,  re-entered  the  house,  closed 
and  bolted  the  crazy  door,  and  slowly  mounted  the 
dark  staircase.  From  the  street  outside  came  excited 
cries,  hoarse  shouting,  the  clatter  of  running  feet; 
but  she  did  not  stop  to  listen.  Indeed,  she  did  not 
seem  to  hear,  but  dragged  herself  up  from-  step  to 
step  as  though  a  weight  was  on  her  feet. 

The  house  was  of  four  stories,  and  she  did  not 
pause  until  she  reached  the  top  one.  A  stream  of 
yellow  light  poured  through  an  open  door,  and  she 
entered  and  closed  the  door  behind  her.  A  lighted 
candle  stood  on  a  table  in  the  centre  of  the  narrow 
room,  but  already  the  rays  of  the  sun  were  beating 
against  the  single  window.  Besides  the  table,  the 
room  contained  two  chairs,  a  rusty  stove,  and  a  cup- 
board in  which  were  a  few  dishes.  Against  one  wall 
stood  a  cot,  and  the  back  of  the  room  was  curtained 
off,  no  doubt  for  the  girl's  sleeping-chamber. 

She  stood  for  a  moment  staring  listlessly  before 
her,  as  though  trying  to  remember  what  she  should 
do  next ;  then  she  laid  the  envelope  on  the  table,  blew 
out  the  candle,  started  a  fire  in  the  stove,  and  placed 
a  kettle  upon  it.     Finally  she  drew  a  chair  to  the  win- 


TWENTY-FIFTH  OF  SEPTEMBER      ii 

dow,  sat  down,  and  looked  out  across  the  harbour. 

Opposite  the  house  was  a  long,  low  building,  the 
wine-market,  so  that  her  view  of  the  harbour  was 
unobstructed.  It  was  alive  with  boats,  circling 
around  or  speeding  towards  a  black  and  shapeless 
mass,  above  which  some  shreds  of  smoke  still  lin- 
gered. Her  lips  were  moving  as  she  stared  at  it,  and 
her  face  was  bloodless;  and  she  pressed  her  hands 
to  her  breast,  as  though  In  pain. 

At  last  the  singing  of  the  kettle  roused  her.  She 
seemed  to  pull  herself  together;  then  she  rose,  made 
the  coffee  and  placed  some  rolls  upon  the  table.  Fi- 
nally she  picked  up  a  knife  and  with  the  handle  smote 
sharply  against  the  wall.  A  moment  later,  the  door 
opened  and  a  man  came.  in. 

At  first  glance,  one  thought  him  very  old,  for  his 
hair  was  white  as  snow,  his  body  shrivelled  and  bent, 
his  face  lined  and  sallow.  But  at  the  second  glance, 
one  perceived  that  these  were  not  the  marks  of  age 
but  of  the  ravages  of  the  fiery  spirit  which  dwelt 
within  the  body  and  which  peered  from  the  burning 
eyes.  At  this  moment,  they  gleamied  with  a  lustre 
almost  demoniacal. 

'*  Breakfast  is  ready,  father,'*  said  the  girl.  "  And 
—  and  the  man  came  past,  as  you  expected,  and  gave 
me  that  for  you,"  she  added,  with  a  little  gesture 
toward  the  sealed  envelope. 

The  man  advanced  to  the  table,  picked  up  the 


12  THE  DESTROYER 

envelope,  and  walked  on  to  the  window.  For  a  mo- 
ment he  stood  staring  out  across  the  harbour;  then 
there  was  the  sound  of  ripping  paper,  a  moment's 
silence,  and  he  thrust  the  envelope  into  his  pocket 
and  turned  back  to  the  table. 

**  It  is  well !  "  he  said,  and  sat  down.  "  It  is  well, 
Kasia  I '' 

"  I  am  glad  of  that,  father,"  she  answered,  in  a 
low  voice,  and  poured  his  coffee. 

He  ate  rapidly  and  as  though  very  hungry;  but 
the  girl  made  only  a  pretence  of  eating.  At  last 
the  man  looked  at  her. 

*'  We  leave  at  once,"  he  said.  *'  We  are  to  take 
the  first  boat  for  America.     Are  you  not  glad?  " 

"  Very  glad,  father." 

"Why  is  it  you  so  love  America,  Kasia?"  he 
asked. 

"  You  also  love  it,  father.  It  is  the  land  of  free- 
dom —  even  for  us  poor  Poles,  it  is  the  land  of 
freedom !  " 

"The  land  of  freedom!"  he  echoed.  "And  I 
love  it,  as  you  say.  It  is  because  of  that  I  hasten 
back;  I  have  in  store  for  her  a  great  honour,  which 
will  make  her  more  than  ever  the  land  of  freedom ! 
For  she  Is  not  free  yet,  Kasia  —  not  for  poor  Poles, 
nor  for  poor  Jews,  nor  for  the  poor  of  any  nation. 
The  poor  cannot  know  freedom  —  not  anywhere  in 
the   whole   world.     They  must   labour,   they  must 


TWENTY-FIFTH  OF  SEPTEMBER      13 

sweat,  they  may  not  rest  if  they  would  live,  for  the 
greater  part  of  what  they  earn  is  stolen  from  them. 
But  I  will  change  all  that  I  Oh,  you  know  my  dream 
—  no  more  poverty,  no  more  suffering,  no  more 
cruelty  and  tyranny  and  injustice  —  but  all  men,  all 
the  nations  of  the  world,  joined  in  brotherhood  and 
love !  This  day  at  dawn  I  struck  the  first  blow  for 
freedom  I  Do  you  know  what  it  was,  my  daughter? 
Did  you  hear  the  roar  of  the  waters  as  they  opened? 
See!" 

He  caught  her  by  the  wrist  and  dragged  her  to 
the  window. 

**  See  I  "  he  cried  again,  and  pointed  a  shaking 
finger  toward  the  black  hulk  in  the  harbour. 

But  she  did  not  look.  Instead  she  shrank  away 
from  him  and  pressed  her  hands  before  her  eyes,  and 
shook  with  a  long  shudder. 

And  after  a  moment,  the  light  faded  from  her 
father's  face,  and  left  it  old  and  worn;  his  eyes  grew 
dull  and  moody;  his  lips  trembled. 

**  Every  cause  must  have  its  martyrs,''  he  said,  as 
though  answering  her  thought,  and  his  voice  was  shak- 
ing with  emotion ;  "  even  the  cause  of  freedom ;  yea, 
that  more  than  any  other,  for  the  battle  against 
tyranny  is  the  most  desperate  of  all  I  " 

And  dropping  her  wrist,  he  went  slowly  from  the 
room. 


CHAPTER  II 

FRANCE  IN  MOURNING 

To  M.  Theophile  Delcasse,  Minister  of  Marine,  and 
first  statesman  of  the  Republic,  slumbering  peace- 
fully in  his  bed  at  Paris  that  morning,  came  the  sound 
of  urgent  knocking.  He  sat  up  in  bed  and  rubbed 
the  sleep  from  his  eyes,  for  he  knew  that  not  without 
good  cause  would  any  one  dare  disturb  him  at  that 
hour.  Then  he  stepped  to  the  floor,  thrust  his  feet 
into  a  pair  of  slippers,  his  arms  into  the  sleeves  o.^ 
a  dressing-robe,  and  opened  the  door. 

"  A  telegram,  sir,  marked  *  Most  Important,*  " 
said  his  valet,  and  passed  it  in  to  him. 

It  was  from  Vice-Admiral  Bellue,  commander  at 
Toulon,  and  a  moment  later  M.  Delcasse  had 
learned  of  the  terrible  disaster. 

He  ordered  his  carriage  and  dressed  rapidly  with 
trembling  hands.  He  was  shocked  and  distressed  as 
he  had  rarely  been  before.  Would  these  disasters 
never  cease?  First  the  Jena,  now  the  Liherte  — 
both  ships  the  pride  of  their  country,  the  last  formi- 
dable word  in  marine  architecture !  He  gulped  down 
the  cup  of  coffee  which  his  valet  brought  him,  seized 

14. 


FRANCE  IN  MOURNING  15 

hat  and  gloves,  hastened  to  his  carriage,  and  drove 
straight  to  the  Elysee  Palace. 

The  President  was  already  up,  and  his  broad  face, 
usually  so  placid  and  good-humoured,  was  convulsed 
with  grief  as  he  greeted  his  Minister.  He  held  in 
his  hand  a  telegram,  which  he  had  just  opened. 

**  See,"  he  said,  after  the  first  moment,  "  the  sad 
news  is  already  abroad,''  and  he  held  out  the  message. 

Delcasse  took  it  and  read  it  with  astonished  eyes. 
It  was  from  the  German  Emperor,  and  expressed  his 
grief  at  the  catastrophe*,  and  his  sympathy  with 
France,  which  he  had  directed  his  ambassador  to  call 
at  once  in  person  to  convey  more  fully. 

"  The  Kaiser  is  certainly  well-served !  "  muttered 
Delcasse,  reading  the  message  again,  his  lips  twitch- 
ing with  emotion.  "  There  is  something  ironical  in 
this  promptness.  He  must  have  had  the  news  be- 
fore we  did  I  " 

The  President  nodded  gloomily.  Then  the  other 
members  of  the  cabinet  came  whirling  up,  and  were 
convened  at  once  by  their  chief  in  secret  session. 

Not  many  hours  later,  as  a  result  of  that  session, 
a  special  train  rolled  out  of  the  Gare  de  Lyon,  and 
headed  away  for  the  south,  with  a  clear  track  and 
right-of-way  over  everything.  Aboard  it  were  the 
President  himself,  the  Minister  of  Marine,  the  Min- 
ister of  War,  and  a  score  of  minor  officials.  There 
was  also  a  thin  little  man  with  white  hair  and  yellow- 


1 6  THE  DESTROYER 

ish-white  beard  —  M.  Louis  Jean  Baptiste  Leplne, 
Prefect  of  Police,  and  the  most  famous  hunter  of 
criminals  in  the  world;  and  in  the  last  car  were  a 
dozen  of  the  best  men  of  his  staff,  under  command 
of  his  most  trusted  lieutenant.  Inspector  Pigot. 
,  At  each  station,  as  the  train  rolled  on,  great  crowds 
gathered  to  meet  it  —  crowds  strangely  silent,  inar- 
ticulate with  grief,  furious,  suspicious  of  they  knew  not 
what.  Terrible  rumours  were  abroad  —  rumours 
of  treachery,  of  treason  striking  at  the  very  heart  of 
France.  No  one  dared  repeat  tliese  rumours,  but 
nevertheless  they  ran  up  and  down  the  land.  The 
Jena  and  now  the  Liberte!  True,  the  Board  of  In- 
quiry, which  had  investigated  the  destruction  of  the 
JenUj  had  decided  that  that  catastrophe  was  due  to 
the  spontaneous  combustion  of  the  powder  in  her 
magazines.  France  had  accepted  the  verdict;  but 
now  a  second  battleship  was  gone.  It  would  be  too 
much  to  ask  any  one  to  believe  that  this  was  spon- 
taneous combustion,  also!  Such  things  do  not  hap- 
pen twice. 

And  at  every  station  telegrams  were  handed  in 
giving  fresh  details  of  the  disaster  —  horrible  de- 
tails. The  ship  was  a  total  loss;  of  that  splendid 
mechanism,  built  by  years  of  toil,  by  the  expenditure 
of  many  millions,  there  remained  only  a  twisted  and 
useless  mass  of  wreckage;  and  in  that  wreckage  lay 
three  hundred  of  France^s  sailors.     Small  wonder 


FRANCE  IN  MOURNING  17 

that  the  President  sat,  chin  in  hand,  staring  straight 
before  him,  and  that  the  others  spoke  in  whispers, 
or  not  at  all. 

At  Dijon,  which  was  reached  about  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon,  there  was  a  tremendous  crowd,  throng- 
ing the  long  platforms  and  pressing  against  the  bar- 
riers, which  threatened  at  every  moment  to  be  swept 
away.  The  President  went  out  to  say  a  few  words 
to  them,  but  at  the  first  sentence  his  voice  failed  him, 
and  he  could  only  stand  and  look  down  upon  them, 
convulsive  sobs  rising  in  his  throat.  Suddenly  a  little 
red-legged  Turco,  weeping  too,  snatched  off  his  fez 
and  shouted  "  Vive  la  France !  "  and  the  cheer  was 
taken  up  and  repeated  and  repeated,  until  it  swelled 
to  a  vast  roar.  As  the  train  rolled  out  of  the  sta- 
tion, the  crowd,  bareheaded,  was  singing  the  Marseil- 
laise. 

M.  Delcasse's  eyes,  behind  his  heavy  glasses,  were 
wet  with  tears. 

'*  It  is  the  same  people  still  I  "  he  said,  pressing 
the  President's  hand.  "  They  are  as  ready  to 
spring  to  arms  as  they  were  a  hundred  years  ago. 
Now,  as  then,  they  need  only  to  know  that  their 
country  is  in  danger  I  " 

His  voice  had  grown  vibrant  with  emotion,  for 
the  passion  of  his  life  was  and  always  had  been  re- 
venge upon  Germany.  He  made  no  effort  to  conceal 
it  or  to  dissimulate.     Alsace  and  Lorraine  were  al- 


1 8  THE  DESTROYER 

ways  In  his  thoughts.  To  placate  Germany,  indeed, 
France  had  once  been  compelled  to  drive  him  from 
the  Quai  d'Orsay,  where,  for  so  many  years,  he  had 
been  to  his  contemporaries  a  sort  of  Olympian  In  the 
conduct  of  her  foreign  affairs.  But  even  in  retire- 
ment he  remained  the  most  powerful  man  In  France ; 
and  now  he  was  back  IiTthe  cabinet  again,  a  giant 
among  Lilliputians,  building  up  the  navy,  building 
up  the  army,  strengthening  the  forts  along  the  fron- 
tier, increasing  the  efficiency  of  the  artillery,  experi- 
menting with  air-ships,  devoting  his  days  and  nights 
to  the  study  of  strategy,  the  discussion  of  possibilities, 
always  with  the  same  idea,  the  same  hope!  And 
now,  this  catastrophe  I 

As  he  sat  gnawing  his  nails,  the  President  glanced 
at  him,  read  his  thoughts,  and  shook  his  head. 

"  No,  my  friend,'*  he  said,  sadly,  *'  the  country  is 
not  in  danger ;  or,  if  it  is,  the  danger  is  from  within, 
not  from  without.  This  is  an  accident,  like  all  the 
others." 

"You  believe  so?  But  it  seems  to  me  that  we 
have  had  more  than  our  share  of  accidents !  *' 

"  So  we  have,"  the  President  agreed.  '*  Let  us 
hope  that  this  will  be  the  last  —  that  it  will  teach  us 
to  guard  ourselves,  in  future,  from  our  own  careless- 
ness." 

"  England,  America,  Germany,"  Delcasse  went  on, 
speaking  half  to  himself,  ''  these  nations,  with  navies 


FRANCE  IN  MOURNING  19 

greater  than  ours,  never  have  such  accidents.  Small 
explosions,  sometimes,  It  Is  true,  wrecking  a  gun  or 
damaging  a  turret  —  but  never  destroying  a  whole 
ship !     Is  it  merely  because  they  are  never  careless?  '* 

**  There  was  the  Maine,**  the  President  reminded 
him. 

Delcasse's  hand  went  to  his  moustache  to  hide  the 
ironic  smile  upon  his  lips.  In  that  close-cropped 
head  of  his,  along  with  many  other  such  secrets,  was 
that  of  the  cause  of  the  catastrophe  in  Havana  har- 
bour. In  all  the  chancellories  of  Europe,  It  was 
agreed  that  the  Maine  had  been  destroyed  by  the 
spontaneous  explosion  of  her  own  magazines.  Four 
men  knew  the  truth,  and  Delcasse  was  one  of  them. 
There  had  been  a  fifth,  but  an  assassin's  bullet  killed 
him. 

In  an  Instant  Delcasse's  face  was  composed,  and 
his  eyes,  behind  their  Immense  glasses,  as  inscrutable 
as  ever.  The  President,  so  Ingenuous  and  child-like, 
must  never  suspect  the  truth  I 

"  True  I  "  Delcasse  agreed.  "  There  was  the 
Maine!  I  had  forgotten  that  I  "  and  he  relapsed 
into  thoughtful  silence. 

Evening  came,  and  still  the  train  rolled  southward, 
past  Macon,  past  Lyons,  past  Vienne,  everywhere 
greeted  by  surging  crowds.  At  the  latter  place,  Del- 
casse arose  and,  with  an  almost  imperceptible  nod  to 
Lepine,  entered  the  last  car.     The  Prefect  followed 


20  THE  DESTROYER 

him,  and  a  few  minutes  later,  they  were  closeted  to- 
gether in  a  compartment,  where,  at  a  word  from  his 
superior.  Inspector  Pigot  had  joined  them. 

"  And  now,*'  began  Delcasse,  when  the  door  was 
closed  and  the  train  had  started  again,  "  tell  me  what 
you  think  of  this  affair,  Lepine." 

The  little  grey  man  spread  his  hands  wide  with  a 
gesture  of  helplessness. 

"  At  this  moment  I  know  no  more  than  you,  sir," 
he  answered;  "  probably  not  so  much.  By  morning, 
I  shall  have  a  report  ready  for  you.'' 

**  We  shall  not  arrive  until  after  midnight,"  the 
Minister  pointed  out. 

"  Nevertheless,  my  report  will  be  ready,  sir,"  said 
Lepine,  quietly.  *'  Between  midnight  and  dawn  there 
are  six  hours." 

Delcasse  looked  at  him.  He  knew  that  this  little 
man  never  made  an  empty  promise. 

*'  Did  you  go  through  the  papers  at  the  time  of  the 
Jena  disaster?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  did,  sir.     I  assisted  the  investigating  board." 

"  You  are,  then,  familiar  with  the  theories  in  that 
case?  " 

*'  There  were  four  theories,"  answered  Lepine. 
**  The  first  was  that  the  ship  had  been  blown  up  by 
treachery;  that  is  always  the  first  thought  1  But  in 
the  case  of  the  Jena,  it  was  quickly  discovered  that 


FRANCE  IN  MOURNING  21 

treachery  was  Impossible,  unless  It  was  that  of  the 
highest  officers,  for  only  they  had  access  to  her  maga- 
zines. That  was  unthinkable,  for  all  of  them  had 
served  France  for  many  years.  More  than  half  of 
them  were  killed.  I  myself  Investigated  the  life  of 
every  one  of  these  men,  for  it  was  necessary  to  be  ab- 
solutely certain  —  but  not  a  breath  could  be  raised 
against  them." 

"  And  the  second  theory?  " 

"  That  there  had  been  carelessness  of  some  sort. 
That,  too,  was  disproved,  for  no  one  had  entered  the 
magazines  for  many  hours  previous  to  the  explosion. 
It  Is  a  rule  of  the  service  that,  except  when  In  use, 
the  keys  of  all  magazines  shall  be  in  keeping  of 
the  commander,  who  Is  responsible  for  them.  At  the 
inquiry,  the  commander  of  the  Jena  testified  that  the 
keys  had  not  left  his  possession  during  the  two  days 
preceding  the  accident.  There  had  been  no  occasion 
to  enter  the  magazines  during  that  time.  The  Jena, 
you  will  remember,  was  at  anchor  in  Toulon  harbour, 
just  as  the  Liberie  was." 

Delcasse  glanced  at  his  companion  keenly. 

"  Does  that  fact  suggest  nothing  to  you,  Leplne?  " 
he  asked. 

"  Nothing,  sir,"  said  Leplne  firmly.  "  I  have 
thought  of  It  all  day,  and  I  can  see  In  it  nothing  ex- 
cept coincidence." 


22  THE  DESTROYER 

**  Coincidence !  Coincidence !  I  detest  the  word 
—  I  do  not  believe  in  coincidence !  "  muttered  the 
Minister. 

"  Nor  I,"  agreed  Lepine;  "  but  even  less  do  I  be- 
lieve in  vague  theories  and  vague  suspicions.  We 
must  have  a  firm  foundation  before  we  begin  to 
build.'^ 

"Well,  and  the  third  theory?"  said  Delcasse,  at 
last. 

**  The  third  theory  was  most  interesting.  It  was 
that  the  explosion  had  been  caused  by  waves  from  the 
wireless  telegraph.  It  was  asserted  that  these  waves 
had  upset  the  unstable  equilibrium,  either  chemical  or 
electrical,  which  sometimes  exists  in  the  components 
of  modern  powder,  and  that  the  explosion  had  re- 
sulted.'^ 

"And  this  theory  also  was  disproved?" 

"  The  most  exhaustive  tests  failed  to  confirm  it.'' 

"Ah,"  said  Delcasse;  "but  to  fail  to  confirm  a 
thing  is  not  to  disprove  It." 

"  Our  wireless  experts  agreed  in  pronouncing  the 
theory  absurd." 

"Wireless  waves  penetrate  metal,  do  they  not?" 

"  Every  metal  except  lead." 

Delcasse  turned  this  over  for  some  moments  in 
his  mind. 

"  If  that  had  been  the  cause,"  went  on  Lepine,  at 
last,  "  there  would  have  been  other  explosions,  many 


FRANCE  IN  MOURNING  23 

of  them  —  and  our  navy  would  not  have  been  the 
only  one  to  suffer.  The  whole  atmosphere  is 
charged  with  such  waves,  of  every  length  and  every 
degree  of  intensity." 

'*  Perhaps  you  are  right,"  agreed  the  Minister. 
"What  was  the  fourth  theory?" 

"  The  fourth  theory  was  that  finally  adopted  by 
the  board.  It  was  that  a  certain  kind  of  powder, 
known  as  *  B  '  powder,  degenerates  under  heat,  and 
becomes,  In  time,  extremely  combustible,  so  that  it  will 
sometimes  explode  apparently  without  any  exciting 
cause." 

*'  In  what  manner  was  the  truth  of  this  theory 
demonstrated?"  demanded  Delcasse. 

"  In  a  most  convincing  manner.  A  certain  amount 
of  this  powder,  which  the  board  was  examining,  did 
explode  in  this  way,  under  their  very  hands.  Had 
the  amount  been  larger,  not  a  member  of  the  board 
would  have  escaped.  But,  sir,  you  know  all  this  as 
well  as  I." 

"  I  wish  to  refresh  my.  memory,"  Delcasse  ex- 
plained. '*  I  wish  to  see  if  your  memory,  which  I 
admire  so  much,  agrees  with  mine.  Now  tell  me  this : 
what  was  done  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of  such  an  ac- 
cident?" 

"  The  powder  in  all  French  magazines  was  over- 
hauled, and  that  which  there  was  any  reason  to  sus- 
pect was  destroyed.     To  prevent  future  deterioration. 


24  THE  DESTROYER 

the"  magazines  of  all  our  battleships  were  equipped 
with  a  special  cooling  apparatus.  In  this,  we  were 
soon  followed  by  all  other  nations.'' 

"  And  yet/'  said  Delcasse,  In  a  low  voice,  ''  the 
latest  and  best  of  our  battleships  blew  up  this  morn- 
ing!" 

"  I  have  brought  my  best  men  with  me,  as  you  sug- 
gested, sir,"  said  Leplne.  "  If  there  were  any  sus- 
picious circumstances  attending  this  explosion,  depend 
upon  It,  they  will  be  laid  before  you  when  you 
awake !  " 

"  Do  not  wait  for  me  to  awake !  "  cried  the  Min- 
ister. "If  any  such  circumstance  comes  to  Hght> 
wake  me  —  wake  me  on  the  Instant  I  " 

Leplne  bowed. 

"  I  will  do  so,  sir,"  he  promised. 

It  was  some  time  past  midnight  when  the  train 
reached  Toulon;  but  apparently  no  one  of  her  hun- 
dred thousand  Inhabitants  had  thought  of  sleep.  The 
streets  before  the  station  were  crowded  from  house- 
front  to  house-front.  The  carriage  containing  the 
President  and  his  Ministers  had  the  greatest  difficulty 
in  proceeding.  Everywhere  there  were  cries  for 
vengeance,  shouts  of  treason,  threats,  wild  Impreca- 
tions. Men  stood  with  arms  extended  cursing  the 
heavens.  The  Place  de  la  Liberte  was  massed  with 
people,  facing  the  fountain  In  honour  of  the  Revolu- 


FRANCE  IN  MOURNING  25 

tion,  bareheaded,  singing  the  Ca  Ira.  It  seemed  as 
though  the  wheels  of  time  had  rolled  back  a  century, 
and  that  at  any  moment  the  Sea-green  Incorruptible 
himself  might  arise  to  thunder  denunciation.  But  at 
last  the  President  and  his  staff  reached  their  hotel. 

M.  Lepine,  after  final  instructions  to  Pigot,  joined 
them  there,  and  listened  to  the  reports  made  by  the 
surviving  officers  of  La  Liberie,  They  were  in  de- 
spair, these  men,  ready  to  kill  themselves  at  a  word; 
their  faces  were  blackened,  their  uniforms  in  tatters, 
their  hands  torn  and  bleeding,  for  they  had  laboured 
all  day  at  the  work  of  rescue.  They  spoke  between 
sobs,  but  it  was  little  they  had  to  tell. 

Commander  Jaures,  It  seemed,  had  been  absent  on 
leave,  the  second  In  command  was  ashore,  so  that 
Senior  Lieutenant  Gamier  was  in  charge  of  the  ship. 
Just  before  dawn,  the  watch  had  discovered  a  small 
fire  In  one  of  the  store-rooms,  but  it  was  so  Insignifi- 
cant that  no  one  thought  of  danger;  the  fire  was  not 
near  the  magazines;  in  any  event,  the  magazines  were 
all  securely  closed  —  the  officer  In  charge  had  seen 
to  that.  Suddenly,  apparently  without  cause,  there 
had  been  three  explosions,  about  a  minute  apart,  first 
of  the  forward  magazine,  then  of  the  after  magazine, 
then  of  the  main  magazine  —  It  seemed  almost  as 
though  they  had  been  fired  at  spaced  Intervals,  like 
a  heavy  gun.  There  had  been  time  to  get  the  crew 
on  deck,  but  the  final  explosion  had  come  before  the 


26  THE  DESTROYER 

boats  could  be  lowered.  It  had  broken  the  ship  in 
two ;  the  forward  part  had  turned  over  and  sunk  with 
all  on  board;  the  after  part  was  a  mere  mass  of 
twisted  wreckage.  The  explosion  had  been  so  vio- 
lent, that  the  neighbouring  ships  also  suffered  —  La 
Repuhlique  so  seriously  that  It  was  only  by  hurrying 
her  to  a  dry-dock  she  was  kept  from  sinking.  No  one 
had  any  theory,  any  explanation;  there  had  been  no 
warning,  no  premonition.  An  Instant,  and  it  was 
over.  But  all  agreed  that  the  fire  could  have  had 
nothing  to  do  with  It. 

PIgot,  meanwhile,  had  spread  his  men  out  along 
the  docks,  where  they  listened  to  every  one,  asked 
questions  of  every  one.  Not  a  rumour  escaped  them, 
but,  alas,  for  no  rumour  could  they  find  foundation. 
The  wreck  In  the  harbour  was  Illuminated  by  the 
searchlights  of  the  other  battleships,  and  PIgot  caused 
himself  to  be  rowed  out  to  It,  introduced  himself  to 
Admiral  Marln-Dabel,  Maritime  Prefect  of  Toulon, 
who  had  taken  personal  charge  of  the  rescue  work, 
and  spent  half  an  hour  Inspecting  the  melancholy 
scene.  Then  he  landed  again,  and  listened  for  a 
time  to  the  reports  of  his  lieutenants.  There  was 
among  them  not  a  single  ray  of  light  —  not  the 
slightest  evidence  to  show  that  the  c?isaster  had  been 
anything  but  an  accident.  The  fire  In  the  store-room 
had.  It  was  whispered,  been  much  more  serious  than 
the  officers  would  admit. 


FRANCE  IN  MOURNING  27 

PIgot  made  his  way  slowly  toward  the  hotel  to  re- 
port to  his  chief,  but  as  he  crossed  the  Place  d'Armes, 
a  hand  was  laid  upon  his  sleeve.  He  turned,  expect- 
ing to  see  one  of  his  men.  Instead,  he  found  him- 
self looking  into  a  face  he  did  not  know. 

"  Pardon,  sir,"  he  said.  **  You  are,  perhaps,  mis- 
taken.^' 

"  Oh,  no,  Pigot,"  said  the  stranger,  with  a  little 
smile,  "  I  am  not  mistaken.  It  is  you  whom  I  wish 
to  see." 

"  I  do  not  remember  you,  sir,''  said  PIgot,  looking 
at  him  more  closely.     "  Have  we  met  before?  " 

"  Many  times." 

"  Many  times  I "  echoed  PIgot,  incredulously. 
"Surely  not!"  and  he  looked  again  to  make  cer- 
tain that  the  stranger  was  not  intoxicated.  "  Where 
have  we  met?  " 

"  We  met  last,"  said  the  stranger,  smiling  again, 
'*  on  La  Savoie,  in  the  harbour  of  New  York  City. 
To  be  sure,  I  was  not  in  this  incarnation,  but  I  am 
sure  you  will  recall  the  incident."  ^ 

Pigot  drew  a  deep  breath,  and  his  face  flushed. 

**  Ah,"  he  said  quietly^  after  a  moment.  **  I 
remember.     I  wish  you  good  evening,  M.  Crochard." 

"  One  moment,"  Crochard  commanded,  his  grasp 
tightening  on  Pigot's  arm.  "  Forgive  my  recalling 
that  meeting  to  your  memory.     It  was  indelicate  of 

»  Sec  "  The  Myitery  of  the  Boulc  Cabinet." 


28  THE  DESTROYER 

me.  Nevertheless  you  would  do  well  to  listen  to 
what  I  have  to  say." 

Pigot  stopped  and  turned. 

"  Well/'  he  said,  after  gazing  for  a  moment  into 
Crochard's  eyes,  "  speak  quickly.  What  Is  it  you 
have  to  say?  " 

^'  I  wish  to  say  to  you,  PIgot,  that  I  have  come  to 
offer  you  my  help." 

"Your  help?" 

"  In  solving  the  mystery  of  this  disaster." 

PIgot  looked  at  him  coldly. 

*'  We  do  not  require  your  help,"  he  said,  at  last. 

"  Perhaps  not;  and  yet  you  would  be  mistaken  to 
refuse  It.  I  was  at  Nice ;  I  have  been  on  the  ground 
since  morning;  I  have  discovered  .  .  ." 

"  Well,  what  have  you  discovered?  "  asked  Pigot, 
as  Crochard  hesitated. 

"  I  have  discovered,"  Crochard  continued  slowly, 
'*  what  I  can  reveal  only  to  M.  Delcasse  himself.  I 
demand  that  you  cause  me  to  be  Introduced  to  him 
at  once." 

Pigot  shrugged  his  shoulders  impatiently. 

*'  Impossible !  "  he  said,   and  started  on. 

**Wait!"  said  Crochard  sternly.  "Consider 
whether  you  are  willing  to  take  the  responsibility  of 
this  refusal !  " 

"  Responsibility!  "  Pigot  burst  out,  his  anger  get- 
ting the  upper  hand  at  last.     "  Responsibility!     Yes, 


FRANCE  IN  MOURNING  29 

I  take  It  I  Who  are  you  ?  A  notorious  character  — 
a  thief.  .  .  ." 

Crochard's  eyes  were  blazing,  and  his  hand 
grasped  PIgot's  arm  with  a  vise-like  grip. 

"  And  with  It  all,''  he  sneered,  "  a  better  man 
than  you,  PigotI  Is  It  not  so?  A  betier  man  than 
you!     How  often  have  I  proved  It!  " 

PIgot's  hand  turned  and  closed  like  a  flash  upon 
the  other's  wrist. 

"  You  will  come  with  me,"  he  said. 

The  anger  faded  from  Crochard's  face,  and  an 
ironic  amusement  took  Its  place. 

"  Where  would  you  conduct  me?  "  he  asked. 

"To  the  Prefecture!" 

"  You  are  mistaken.  You  will  conduct  me  to  M. 
Delcasse.  You  cannot  conduct  me  to  the  Prefec- 
ture, Pigot;  I  will  not  allow  it!  " 

"Allow  It!  "  sneered  PIgot,  and  pressed  forward. 

"  Fool !  "  hissed  Crochard  in  his  ear.  "  Thick- 
headed fool!  Have  you  learned  no  wisdom  yet? 
I  would  smite  you,  Pigot,  but  that  I  have  need  of  you. 
Listen !  I  and  only  I  can  save  France !  I  demand 
that  you  take  me  to  M.  Delcasse." 

PIgot  felt  himself  waver;  a  vague  uneasiness 
stirred  within  him  as  he  met  his  companion's  flaming 
gaze. 

"  On  what  pretext  can  I  Introduce  you  to  M.  Del- 
casse ?  "  he  asked  at  last. 


30  THE  DESTROYER 

'^  You  will  leave  me  outside  the  door,"  said 
Crochard  rapidly,  almost  in  a  whisper.  "  You  will 
go  in  to  M.  Delcasse  alone;  you  will  say  to  him, 
*  Sir,  I  have  outside  a  man  who  asserts  that  La 
Liherte  was  blown  up  by  the  Germans,  and  that  he 
can  prove  it!'  Then  let  M.  Delcasse  decide  whether 
or  not  he  will  receive  me !  " 

Pigot  was  staring  at  the  speaker  with  distended 
eyes. 

"  By  the  Germans !  "  he  repeated,  hoarsely.  "  By 
the  Germans !  " 

Crochard  answered  with  an  impatient  pressure  of 
the  arm. 

"  You  are  wasting  time,*'  he  said. 

'*  You  are  right,"  Pigot  agreed.  "  Come  with 
me,"  and  he  led  the  way  across  the  square. 


CHAPTER  III 

TWO  GREAT  MEN  MEET 

M.  Delcasse  and  M.  Leplne  were  still  in  confer- 
ence when  PIgot  was  announced.  He  was  admitted 
without  delay,  and  made  his  report  briefly  and 
clearly.  It  could  have  been  summed  up  in  a  sen- 
tence :  neither  by  him  nor  by  his  agents  had  anything 
been  discovered  to  indicate,  even  remotely,  that  the 
catastrophe  had  been  the  result  of  intention;  every 
rumour  to  that  effect  had  been  sifted  and  disproved; 
La  Liberie  had  been  destroyed  from  within  and  not 
from  without. 

"Another  *  accident,'  then,''  grunted  Delcasse 
gloomily.  "  But  I  do  not  believe  it!  Something  — 
something  here  " —  and  he  smote  his  forehead  — 
**  teHs  me  that  it  was  not  an  accident!  " 

PIgot,  as  a  practical  detective,  had  no  faith  In  in- 
tuition; but  whatever  his  thoughts  may  have  been, 
he  managed  to  mask  them  behind  an  Impenetrable 
countenance. 

"  Our  Investigations  have  but  just  begun,"  Lepinc 
pointed  out.  "  They  will  be  continued  without 
pause.  I  will  conduct  them  in  person.  No  circum- 
stance, however  trivial,  will  be  overlooked." 

31 


32  THE  DESTROYER 

"  I  know  you  are  a  good  man,  Lepine,'^  said  the 
Minister  wearily;  "  I  know  there  Is  none  more  clever. 
But  something  more  than  cleverness  is  needed  here 
—  we  need  genius,  inspiration.''  He  stopped 
abruptly  and  rose  from  his  chair.  "  I  am  sure  you 
will  do  your  best.  Remember,  if  there  is  any  dis- 
covery, I  am  to  be  told  at  once." 

Pigot,  who  had  been  standing  with  lips  compressed, 
undergoing  a  violent  inward  struggle,  at  last  man- 
aged to  open  them. 

"  I  have  a  man  outside,'*  he  said,  as  though  re- 
peating a  lesson,  "  who  requests  an  audience  with 
M.  Delcasse.  He  asserts  that  La  Liberie  was 
blown  up  by  the  Germans,  and  that  he  can  prove 
It." 

Delcasse  whirled  as  on  a  pivot  and  stared  at  the 
speaker. 

"  But,  name  of  God!  "  he  stammered,  barely  able 
to  speak  for  excitement,  "  why  have  you  not  intro- 
duced this  man  at  once  ?     Why  have  you  wasted  our  ~ 
time.  .  .  ." 

He  stopped  and  took  a  rapid  turn  up  and  down 
the  room.  When  he  spoke  again,  his  voice  was  quite 
composed. 

"  Introduce  the  man  at  once,"  he  commanded. 

*'  I  think  it  would  be  well,"  said  PIgot  tonelessly, 
*'  that  M.  Delcasse  should  first  be  Informed  as  to 
the  name  and  character  of  this  man." 


TWO  GREAT  MEN  MEET  33 

Again  Delcasse  stared. 

"Explain  yourself! ''  he  cried.  "Who  is  the 
man?'' 

"  His  name  is  Crochard,  sir/*  Pigot  replied. 

Delcasse  evidently  did  not  recognise  the  name,  but 
Lepine's  face  was  suddenly  illumined. 

"  Crochard,*'  he  explained,  "  is  the  most  adroit, 
the  most  daring,  the  most  accomplished  scoundrel 
with  whom  I  have  ever  had  to  deal.  Surely  Mon- 
sieur remembers  the  affair  of  the  MIchaelovitch  dia- 
monds? " 

"  Ah,  yes !  *'  cried  Delcasse,  his  face,  too,  lighting. 
"  So  that  was  Crochard  I  '' 

'*  Crochard  the  Invincible,  he  calls  himself," 
growled  Pigot.     "  He  is  a  great  braggart." 

"  And  with  some  reason,'*  added  Lepine.  "  We 
have  never  yet  been  able  to  convict  him." 

"  He  restored  the  Mazarin  diamond  to  the 
Louvre,  did  he  not?  '*  queried  the  Minister.  "  And 
also  the  Mona  Lisa?" 

**  The  Mazarin  certainly,"  assented  Lepine.  "  As 
for  the  Mona  Lisa,  I  have  never  been  quite  certain. 
There  is  a  rumour  that  the  original  is  now  owned  by 
an  American  millionaire,  and  that  the  picture  returned 
to  the  Louvre  is  only  a  copy  —  a  wonderful  one,  it  is 
true.     Where  did  you  meet  him,  Pigot?  " 

Pigot  related  the  story  of  the  meeting,  while  Del- 
casse listened  thoughtfully. 


34  THE  DESTROYER 

*'  Is  he  to  be  trusted?  '/  he  asked,  when  Pigot  had 
finished. 

"  In  this  affair  I  believe  so,"  answered  Lepine 
quietly.  "  He  may  be  as  good  a  patriot  as  you  or  I. 
If  he  is  really  in  earnest,  he  can  be  of  Immense  as- 
sistance. He  has  absolute  command  of  the  under- 
world, and  a  thousand  sources  of  information  which 
are  closed  to  the  police.  At  least,  it  can  do  no  harm 
to  hear  what  he  has  to  say." 

Delcasse  agreed  with  a  nod,  and  sat  down  again. 

"  Bring  him  in,"  he  said,  and  a  moment  later 
Crochard  entered. 

If  M.  Delcasse  had  expected  to  perceive  anything 
of  the  criminal  in  the  man  who  bowed  to  him  respect- 
fully from  the  threshold,  he  was  most  thoroughly  dis- 
appointed. What  he  did  see  was  a  well-built  man  in 
the  very  prime  of  life,  with  clear  and  fearless  eyes 
of  greenish-grey  flecked  with  yellow,  a  face  singu- 
larly open  and  engaging,  and  a  manner  as  easy  and 
self-possessed  as  Delcasse's  own.  The  only  sign  of 
approaching  age  was  the  sprinkle  of  grey  In  the  crisp, 
brown  hair,  but  this  served  rather  to  accentuate  the 
youthfulness  of  the  face,  covered  now  by  a  coat  of 
tan  which  bespoke  a  summer  spent  in  the  open.  In 
any  company,  this  man  would  have  been  notable. 

**  M.  Crochard,  I  believe,"  said  Delcasse,  and  in- 
voluntarily the  great  Minister  arose  and  returned  his 
visitor*s  bow.     "  Be  seated,  sir." 


TWO  GREAT  MEN  MEET  35 

*'  Thank  you,"  said  Crochard,  and  sat  down.  "  I 
see  that  we  are  going  to  appreciate  each  other,"  he 
added,  and  looked  at  Delcasse  with  a  friendly  smile. 

That  gentleman's  eyes  were  twinkling  behind  his 
glasses,  and  his  lips  twitched  under  his  heavy 
moustache. 

"  It  always  pleases  me  to  meet  a  distinguished 
man,"  he  said,  "  in  whatever  field  of  efndeavour.  M. 
Lepine  tells  me  that  you  are  most  distinguished." 

"  M.  Lepine  has  every  reason  to  know,"  agreed 
Crochard,  and  glanced  smilingly  toward  the  Prefect. 

*'  Though,  since  I  have  eyes,  I  can  see  that  for  my- 
self," added  the  Minister.  "  Why  did  you  wish  to 
see  me?  " 

"  I  wished  to  see  you,  sir,"  answered  Crochard, 
suddenly  serious,  "  because  I  have  long  recognised 
In  you  the  only  man  whom  France  possesses  who  sees 
clearly  the  struggle  which  is  ahead  of  her,  who  pre- 
pares ceaselessly  for  that  struggle,  and  who  is  strong 
enough  to  guide  her  through  it  triumphantly." 

"To  what  struggle  do  you  refer?"  inquired  the 
Minister,  but  his  shining  eyes  belied  his  careless  tone. 

"  The  struggle  to  regain  possession  of  Alsace-Lor- 
raine and  to  avenge  ourselves  upon  the  nation  which 
once  humiliated  us." 

A  slow  flush  crept  into  Delcasse's  cheeks,  and  his 
lips  tightened. 

"  You  foresee  such  a  struggle  ?  "  he  asked. 


36  THE  DESTROYER 

**  As  clearly  as  you  do  yourself,  sir." 

"  Well,  yes  I  "  cried  Delcasse,  and  smote  the  arm 
of  his  chair  a  heavy  blow.  "  I  do  foresee  such  a 
struggle  —  I  have  never  denied  it;  and  for  twenty 
years  I  have  laboured  to  prepare  for  It.  You  can  un- 
derstand, then,  what  a  blow  it  Is  to  me  —  how  ter- 
rible, how  disheartening  —  to  have  all  my  calcula- 
tions blasted  by  such  accidents  as  that  of  to-day !  '* 

"  Pardon  me,  sir,"  said  Crochard,  in  a  low  tone, 
**  but  the  destruction  oi  La  Liberie  was  not  an  ac- 
cident!" 

"You  assert  that?" 

"  I  do.  And  furthermore  I  assert  that  it  was  the 
work  of  Germany!" 

Delcasse  sprang  from  his  chair,  his  face  livid. 

''  The  proof!  "  he  cried.     "  The  proof!  " 

"The  proof,  sir,  is  , this:  at  five  minutes  before 
dawn,  this  morning,  two  strangers,  attired  as  pedes- 
trians, with  knapsacks  on  their  backs,  stopped  in  the 
recess  of  the  doorway  of  Number  Ten,  Quai  de  Cron- 
stadt.  They  stepped  well  within  the  shadow,  as 
though  not  wishing  to  be,  seen,  and  stood  gazing  out 
on  the  harbour.  Directly  before  them,  at  a  distance 
of  not  more  than  three  hundred  yards.  La  Liberie 
was  moored.  It  was  at  her  they  stared,  with  eyes 
expectant  and  uneasy.  At  dawn.  La  Liberie  blew 
up,  and  one  of  these  men  cried  out  some  words  of 
German." 


TWO  GREAT  MEN  MEET  37 

^What  were  they?" 

"  Unfortunately  the  person  who  overheard  them 
does  not  know  German.  He  understood  only  the 
first  two  words,  *  Ach  Gott! '  " 

"  And  the  men  ?  "  cried  Delcasse.  "  What  became 
of  them?" 

"  They  strode  rapidly  away  along  the  quay,  and 
were  lost  to  sight." 

Delcasse  dropped  into  his  chair,  his  face  dark  with 
passion. 

*'  What  do  you  infer  from  this  circumstance?  "  he 
demanded. 

"  There  is  only  one  possible  inference,"  answered 
Crochard.  '*  At  five  minutes  before  dawn  this  morn- 
ing, there  were,  in  this  city  of  Toulon,  two  Germans 
who  knew  that  La  Liberie  was  to  be  destroyed.'' 

A  moment's  silence  followed.  Those  words,  ter- 
rible as  they  were,  astounding  as  they  were,  carried 
conviction  with  them. 

"  Tell  me,"  said  Delcasse,  at  last,  *'  how  you  dis- 
covered all  this." 

"  I  have  been  spending  the  month  at  Nice," 
Crochard  explained.  *'  I  learned  of  the  disaster  as 
soon  as  I  was  up  this  morning,  and  I  came  at  once  to 
Toulon.  Monsieur  will  understand  that,  in  the  many 
years  during  which  I  have  been  at  variance  with  so- 
ciety, I  have  made  many  friends  and  gained  a  certain 
power  in  quarters  of  which  Monsieur  knows  litdc. 


38  THE  DESTROYER 

One  of  these  friends  Is  the  proprietor  of  the  cafe 
which  occupies  the  ground  floor  of  the  house  on  the 
Quai  de  Cronstadt.  I  stopped  to  see  him,  because  his 
house  is  close  to  the  scene  of  the  disaster  —  so 
close,  indeed,  that  all  of  Its  windows  were  shattered. 
It  was  he  who  gave  me  the  first  clue.'* 

**  Go  on,"  said  Delcasse,  who  had  been  listening 
intently.  **  I  need  not  say  how  deeply  all  this  in- 
terests me.*' 

"  My  friend  had  arranged  to  go  to  Marseilles  this 
morning,**  Crochard  continued,  "  to  make  a  purchase 
of  wine.  The  train,  he  tells  me,  leaves  at  six  o*clock. 
It  was  about  fifteen  minutes  before  that  hour  when, 
as  he  started  to  open  his  door,  two  men  stepped  into 
the  little  vestibule,  as  though  to  screen  themselves 
from  observation.  He  peered  through  the  curtain, 
thinking  they  might  be  friends,  and  found  that  he  did 
not  know  them.  Gazing  from  the  darkness  of  the 
Interior,  he  could  see  them  very  well.  They  were 
staring  at  La  Liberie,  as  I  have  said,  their  faces  rigid 
with  emotion;  and  then  came  the  explosion,  which, 
without  question,  they  anticipated.'* 

**  You  have  a  description  of  them?  **  broke  in  Del- 
casse. 

**  An  excellent  description.  They  were  men  of 
middle  age,  heavily  built  and  clean-shaven.  Their 
faces  were  deeply  tanned,  as  with  long  exposure,  and 
had  that  fulness  about  the  lips  which  bespeaks  the 


TWO  GREAT  MEN  MEET  39 

German.  They  wore  caps  and  walking-suits  with 
knee  trousers.  Each  had  strapped  upon  his  back  a 
small  knapsack." 

Lepine,  who  had  been  taking  rapid  notes,  looked 
up  with  gleaming  eyes. 

"  We  shall  find  these  men,''  he  said.  "  It  will  not 
be  difficult." 

**  More  difficult  than  you  suppose,  M.  Lepine," 
said  Crochard  dryly. 

Lepine  looked  at  him. 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  he  asked. 

Crochard  turned  to  Delcasse  with  a  little  deprecat- 
ing gesture. 

**  Before  I  proceed,"  he  said,  "  I  must  be  certain 
of  my  position  here.  With  you,  sir,  no  explanations 
are  necessary;  we  understand  each  other  and  we  have 
no  past  to  prejudice  us.  But  M.  le  Prefect  and  I  are 
old  enemies.  We  respect  each  other,  but  we  always 
welcome  an  opportunlcy  to  try  conclusions.  Until 
this  affair  is  ended,  I  propose  a  truce." 

"  I  will  go  further  than  that,"  retorted  Lepine, 
"  and  call  it  an  alliance.  I  shall  welcome  your  help. 
I  have  already  told  M.  Delcasse  that  you  are  prob- 
ably as  good  a  patriot  as  he  or  L" 

**  I  shall  try  to  prove  that  you  are  right,"  said 
Crochard,  his  eyes  shining.  "  There  is  one  more 
condition.  In  this  affair.  It  may  be  necessary  for  me 
to  call  to  my  assistance  certain  persons  for  whom  the 


40  THE  DESTROYER 

« 

police  iire  looking.     Should  they  be  recognised  while 
so  engaged,  no  effort  must  be  made  to  arrest  them." 

''  I  agree,"  said  Lepine,  instantly. 

Crochard  leaned  back  in  his  chair  with  a  sigh  of 
satisfaction. 

'"  I  am  ready  to  proceed,"  he  said.  "  Let  us,  for 
the  time,  forget  our  differences." 

"  I  have  already  forgotten  them,"  said  Lepine. 

Delcasse  had  listened  to  this  interchange  widi  smil- 
ing lips. 

"Magnificent!"  he  cried.  "I  shall  remember 
this  scene  all  my  life.     And  now  to  work!  " 

'*  First,"  said  Lepine,  "  permit  me  to  inquire  of 
Inspector  Pigot  how  it  happened  that  neither  he  nor 
his  men  heard  anything  of  these  two  strangers?" 

Pigot  flushed  darkly  and  opened  his  lips  to  defend 
himself,  but  Crochard  silenced  him  with  a  little 
gesture. 

"  I  can  explain  that,"  he  said.  "  Pigot  is  not  a 
genius,  it  is  true,  but  neither  is  he  quite  a  fool,  and 
I  should  grieve  to  see  him  blamed  for  something  not 
his  fault.  I  was  careful  to  warn  my  friend  to  repeat 
his  story  to  no  one.  That,  I  think,  was  the  wisest 
course.  Those  men  must  not  know  that  we  suspect 
them." 

Delcasse  nodded. 

"  You  are  right,"  he  agreed.  **  Are  you  possessed 
of  any  further  information  ?  " 


TWO  GREAT  MEN  MEET  41 

"I  had  only  a  few  hours/'  Crochard  apologised; 
"  but  I  did  what  I  could.  I  learned  that  two  men  re- 
sembling these,  and  undoubtedly  the  same,  had  been 
staying  since  Friday  at  the  Hotel  du  Nord.  The 
proprietor  of  that  house  informed  me  that  they  left 
before  daybreak  this  morning  to  walk  to  Frejus.** 

**  Ah,  then,"  began  Delcasse. 

"  But  they  did  not  go  to  Frejus,*'  Crochard  added. 
"  They  stopped  at  Sallns,  which  they  reached  about 
ten  oVlock,  boarded  a  small  steam-yacht  which  was 
waiting  there,  and  at  once  put  out  to  sea.  I  fear 
they  are  beyond  our  reach." 

Delcasse  stamped  his  foot. 

"  What,  then,  is  to  be  done?  "  he  demanded. 

"  It  seems  to  me  most  Important  that  we  identify 
these  men,'*  said  Crochard;  "then  we  shall  know 
where  to  look  for  them.'* 

"  Yes,**  agreed  Delcasse;  "  but  how  are  they  to  be 
identified?*' 

"  There  are,  no  doubt,  In  the  files  of  your  depart- 
ment, photographs  of  the  most  prominent  German 
officers,  both  of  army  and  navy.  I  believe  these  men 
to  be  officers  —  one,  at  least  —  the  other  may  be- 
long to  the  secret  service.  I  would  suggest  that 
these  photographs  be  brought  to  Toulon,  and  that  It 
also  be  ascertained  which  officers  are  on  leave  of  ab- 
sence, or  not  with  their  commands.  Probably  It  will 
be  necessary  to  search  only  among  the  general  of- 


42  THE  DESTROYER 

ficers.  An  affair  so  important  would  not  be  en- 
trusted to  a  subordinate.'' 

Delcasse  made  a  quick  note. 

"  The  photographs  will  be  here  to-morrow/'  he 
promised. 

"  I  would  further  suggest  that  the  inn-keeper  be 
strictly  interrogated,"  Crochard  went  on.  "  I  ven- 
tured to  ask  him  only  a  careless  question  or  two;  he 
dpes  not  know  me,  and  I  did  not  wish  to  arouse  his 
suspicions." 

Lepine  arose. 

"  I  will  see  him  at  once,"  he  said. 

Crochard  rose  also. 

"  And  I  will  accompany  you.  That  Is  all  the  In- 
formation I  have  at  present,  sir,"  he  added  to  Del- 
casse. 

"  It  Is  a  great  deal,"  said  the  Minister  quickly. 
"  Just  before  you  came,  I  was  remarking  to  Lepine 
that  what  we  needed  in  this  affair  was  a  man  of 
genius.     Well,  I  think  that  we  have  found  him !  " 

Crochard  flushed  with  pleasure. 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,"  he  said. 

"  And  I  thank  you  for  coming  to  me,"  said  Del- 
casse. "  You  are  doing  France  a  great  service.  I 
shall  not  forget  it.     Until  morning,  then." 

Crochard  bowed  and  left  the  room  with  the  two 
detectives. 

Delcasse  sat  for  a  moment  deep  in  thought;  then 


TWO  GREAT  MEN  MEET  43 

he  summoned  his  secretary,  gave  the  necessary  order 
about  the  photographs  and  dictated  a  cipher  tele- 
gram to  the  chief  of  his  secret  service  at  Berlin. 
That  done,  he  bade  his  secretary  good  night,  dis- 
missed him  and  went  to  bed. 

But  not  to  sleep.  Turning  at  full  length  upon  his 
back,  his  arms  above  his  head,  he  stared  steadily  up 
into  the  darkness  until  his  brain,  freed  of  all  lesser 
problems,  all  vagrant  thoughts,  was  concentrated 
upon  the  great  problem  which  now  confronted  It : 

How  had  the  destruction  of  La  Liberie  been  ac- 
complished ? 

It  was,  of  course,  the  work  of  Germany.  Those 
two  strangers,  who  spoke  German  in  a  moment  of 
great  excitement,  who  had  arrived  five  minutes  be- 
fore the  disaster,  who  had  hastened  away  Immediately 
afterwards,  who  had  lied  about  their  destination,  and 
for  whom  a  steam-yacht  had  been  waiting  —  all  this, 
as  Crochard  said,  could  have  but  one  meaning. 

And  then  Delcasse  fairly  bounded  in  the  bed. 
Fool  that  he  had  been  not  to  think  of  It!  There 
was  another  proof!  The  telegram  from  the  Em- 
"peror ! 

He  lay  a  moment  trembling,  then  calmed  himself 
by  a  mighty  effort.  How  was  it  the  Emperor 
had  learned  so  promptly  of  the  disaster?  There  was 
only  one  possible  answer:  an  emissary  had  hastened 
to  flash  the  news  to  him  —  an  emissary  dressed,  pre- 


44  THE  DESTROYER 

pared,  who  needed  to  delay  for  no  investigation, 
since  the  roar  of  the  explosion  told  him  everything  — 
one  of  the  men,  perhaps,  who  had  waited  on  the 
quay.  And  Delcasse,  biting  his  nails,  his  face  wet 
with  perspiration,  pictured  to  himself  the  Emperor 
also  waiting,  pacing'  restlessly  back  and  forth,  until 
the  word  should  come !  He  gnashed  his  teeth  with 
rage,  this  good  Frenchman,  and  shook  trembling 
fists  up  into  the  darkness.  Ah,  Germany  should  pay  I 
Germany  should  pay! 

But  again  he  calmed  himself,  wiped  his  forehead, 
and  composed  himself  for  thought. 

How  had  La  Liberte  been  destroyed?  There 
was  the  question  which  must  be  answered,  and  at 
once. 

By  a  mine,  set  to  explode  at  a  certain  hour  ?  Del- 
casse shook  his  head.  It  was  absurd  to  suppose  that 
a  mine  could  be  planted  in  a  harbour  as  strictly 
guarded  and  policed  as  that  of  Toulon.  By  a  tor- 
pedo, then,  which  could  be  launched  some  distance 
away?  But  that  was  even  more  absurd.  The 
launching  of  a  torpedo  required  a  complex  mechan- 
ism; as  well  suppose  that  an  enemy  would  be  able 
to  Install  a  cannon  on  the  docks  unobserved.  By  a 
submarine?  But  La  Liberte  had  lain  at  anchor  in  an 
enclosed  basin;  besides  there  were  the  outer  basins, 
patrol  boats,  sentries,  the  constant  coming  and  going 
of  sailors  and  marines,  of  launches,  of  boats  of  all 


TWO  GREAT  MEN  MEET  45 

kinds.  How  could  an  enemy  creep  unobserved  past 
all  these  ? 

True,  the  accident  had  occurred  at  dawn,  when 
every  one  but  the  sentries  was  asleep.  But  even  at 
that  hour  the  harbour  was  strictly  guarded.  An 
enemy,  to  enter  unseen,  would  have  to  be  Impalpable, 
Invisible.  ... 

Besides,  how  could  a  mine  or  a  torpedo  or  a  sub- 
marine have  caused  the  explosion  of  the  magazines, 
one  after  the  other,  at  regular  intervals  — *'  spaced," 
one  of  the  officers  had  said,  *'  like  the  reports  of  a 
heavy  gun."  First  one  had  been  fired,  and  then  a 
second,  and  then  a  third;  Delcasse,  closing  his  eyes, 
had  a  vision  of  a  ghostly  figure  stealing  from  one  to 
another,  torch  In  hand.  .  .  . 

His  mind  roved  back  again  over  his  talk  with 
Lepine.  Could  it  have  been  done  by  wireless?  Not 
the  ordinary  wireless,  but  some  subtle  variant  of  ether 
waves,  some  new  form  of  radio-activity,  which  in 
some  way  caused  combustion?  There  was  an  enemy 
which  could  flit  unseen  from  magazine  to  magazine, 
which  no  locks  nor  bars  could  guard  against.  .  .  . 

His  heart  faltered  at  the  thought.  The  possessor 
of  such  a  secret  would  have  the  world  at  his  mercy. 
No  ship  would  be  safe,  no  fort,  no  artillery-caisson. 
Armies  and  navies  alike  would  melt  before  him,  de- 
stroyed by  the  explosion  of  their  own  ammunition. 
Ah,  if  France  possessed  that  secret.  .  .  . 


46  THE  DESTROYER 

He  shook  his  head  Impatiently  and  turned  on  his 
side. 

**  I  am  dreaming  foolish  dreams,**  he  told  himself. 
"  It  is  time  to  sleep.** 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   ALLIES  AT  WORK 

It  was  nearly  four  o'clock  when  Crochard,  Lepine 
and  Pigot  took  their  leave  of  M.  Delcasse  and  made 
their  way  through  the  dark  and  silent  streets  In  the 
direction  of  the  Hotel  du  Nord.  The  people  who 
had  leaped  from  their  beds  at  sunrise,  wearied  at  last 
by  the  emotions  of  the  day  and  dampened  by  the  fine 
rain  which  had  begun  to  fall,  had  gone  to  bed  again. 
Only  about  the  harbour  were  there  any  signs  of  life. 
There  the  searchlights  of  the  battleships  still  played 
about  the  wreck,  where  squads  of  marines  were 
searching  for  the  bodies  of  their  comrades. 

The  three  men,  their  coats  buttoned  about  them, 
their  hats  pulled  down,  hurried  on  in  silence,  each 
busy  with  his  own  thoughts.  Crochard  and  Lepine 
were  planning  the  campaign;  PIgot  had  not  yet  re- 
covered from  his  confusion  at  the  sight  of  these  two 
working  hand  in  hand. 

Five  minutes  brought  them  to  the  door  of  the 
Hotel  du  Nord,  and  Lepine  applied  to  It  a  vigorous 
fist.  There  was  no  response,  and  he  pounded  again. 
At  last  there  came  the  sound  of  a  window  being 
raised,  and  a  night-capped  head  was  thrust  out  from 
the  upper  story. 

47 


48  THE  DESTROYER 

'*  Who  Is  there?"  asked  a  voice. 

"Are  you  the  proprietor?  "  demanded  Lepine. 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Then  come  down  at  once." 

"  But  what  is  wrong,  sir?  "  stammered  Brisson,  to 
whose  frightened  eyes  those  three  dark  figures  hud- 
dled In  his  doorway  appeared  most  sinister.  "  What 
is  it  you  require?  " 

"  No  matter,"  said  Lepine,  sternly.  "  Come  down 
at  once  and  open  the  door." 

The  window  was  lowered  and  some  minutes  passed. 
Had  the  three  men  at  the  door  been  able  to  see  in- 
side the  house,  they  would  have  been  amused  at  what 
occurred  there,  could  anything  have  amused  them  at 
that  moment.  As  it  was,  they  merely  stamped  with 
impatience  and  crowded  closer  to  the  door,  for  the 
rain  was  falling  more  heavily. 

Brisson  retreated  from  the  window,  his  fat  coun- 
tenance fallen  into  creases  of  dismay,  and  plunged 
back  into  his  bedroom,  where  his  wife,  who  had  also 
been  awakened  by  the  knocking,  was  sitting  up  in 
bed. 

"What  is  It,  Brisson?"  she  asked. 

"  There  are  three  men  below,"  gasped  Aristide, 
fumbling  for  his  trousers.  "  They  command  that  I 
descend  at  once  and  admit  them.  There  is  something 
which  tells  me  it  is  the  police  —  the  police  at  this 
hour!" 


THE  ALLIES  AT  WORK  49 

**  The  police?  "  and  Madame  Gabrielle  cast  a  rapid 
mental  glance  over  their  affairs.  "  Well,  admit 
them ;  we  have  no  reason  to  fear  the  police." 

**  There  is  that  little  matter  of  the  wine  from  your 
nephew  which  did  not  pay  the  octroi,"  Brisson  re- 
minded her. 

"  Bah !  '*  retorted  Madame,  who  was  by  far  the 
stronger  spirit;  "it  cannot  be  that!  No  one  could 
suspect  that;  besides,  even  if  they  did,  they  would  not 
come  hammering  here  in  the  middle  of  the  night. 
Descend  at  once  and  admit  them.  Assume  a  bold 
front,  Brisson  I  Do  not  let  them  suspect  that  you 
have  fear !  Go  at  once !  Hasten  I  I  will  come  as 
soon  as  I  have  found  a  petticoat." 

Thus  encouraged,  Brisson  descended  and  opened 
the  door,  holding  a  lighted  candle  above  his  head  and 
presenting  as  bold  a  front  as  his  not-too-courageous 
spirit  could  muster.  The  three  men  crowded  past 
him,  without  waiting  for  an  invitation  or  saying  a 
word,  and  one  of  them  took  the  door  from  his  hand 
and  closed  and  bolted  it.  The  horrible  thought 
flashed  through  Brisson's  head  that  they  were  rob- 
bers, bandits,  and  he  had  opened  his  mouth  to  cry 
for  help,  when  one  of  them,  the  little,  lean,  grey- 
bearded  one,  with  the  fierce  eyes,  spoke. 

"  We  belong  to  the  police,"  he  said.  "  We  desire 
a  few  moments'  conversation  with  you." 

"  Certainly,  sir,"  stammered  Brisson,  thinking,  as 


so  THE  DESTROYER 

he  met  those  eyes,  that  perhaps  he  would  have  pre- 
ferred the  bandits.  "  Come  this  way,  if  you  please, 
sirs,"  and  he  led  the  way  into  his  bureau. 

He  placed  the  candle  on  the  table  and  dropped 
into  a  chair.  His  visitors  remained  standing,  facing 
him.  Brisson  realised  that  for  him  to  sit  while  they 
stood  was  anything  but  courteous,  and  he  struggled  to 
arise,  but  the  strength  seemed  departed  from  his  legs, 
and  he  sank  helplessly  back  again. 

"  What  is  your  name?  '*  asked  the  little  man,  look- 
ing at  him  with  those  gimlet  eyes. 

"  Aristide  Brisson,  sir." 

"  You  have  been  long  in  this  house?  " 

"  For  twenty  years,  sir.  My  record  is  of  the 
best." 

**  We  will  investigate  it,"  said  Lepine  curtly. 

"  Do  so !  "  cried  a  voice  behind  them.  *'  Nothing 
would  please  us  better!  "  They  turned  to  find  Ma- 
dame Brisson  on  the  threshold,  her  eyes  flashing,  her 
bosom  heaving,  one  plump  hand  holding  together  at 
the  throat  the  garment  which  threatened  every  mo- 
ment to  disclose  her  still  plumper  shoulders.  "  We 
are  honest  people  —  our  neighbours  will  speak  a 
good  word  for  us  —  all  of  them !  " 

"  I  do  not  doubt  it,  Madame,"  said  Lepine,  cour- 
teously, realising  that  here  he  had  to  do  with  the  head 
of  the  house.  *'  Meanwhile  we  wish  to  make  cer- 
tain inquiries  of  you,  which  you  need  riot  hesitate  to 


THE  ALLIES  AT  WORK  51 

answer.  But  I  wish  first  to  warn  you  that  of  these 
inquiries  you  must  not  breathe  so  much  as  a  word  to 
any  one.     Do  you  understand?  '' 

"  We  understand,  sir;  you  may  rely  upon  us,"  said 
Madame  Brisson,  and  sat  down  beside  her  hus- 
band. 

"  Our  inquiry,'*  pursued  Lepine,  "  concerns  the 
two  gentlemen  who  departed  so  early  yesterday  morn- 
ing." 

At  the  words,  Brisson  bounded  in  his  chair,  and 
the  colour  swept  back  into  his  cheeks.  He  was  him- 
self again. 

"  So  I  "  he  cried,  and  suddenly  found  that  he  could 
stand  erect,  and  did  so.  "  So  I  It  is  about  those 
swine!  I  knew  that  all  was  not  right;  I  knew  that 
they  were  not  as  they  pretended  I  " 

"  What  was  it  they  pretended?  " 

"  That  they  were  of  America.  But  it  did  not  de- 
ceive me  —  no,  not  for  one  instant.  They  had  not 
the  air  of  Americans.  Besides,  do  Americans  go 
tramping  about  the  country  with  knapsacks  on  their 
backs  ?  No ;  only  Germans  do  that  I  To  Gabrielle, 
as  they  departed,  I  said,  *  Americans,  no ;  Germans 
perhaps,  or  Austrians  —  but  not  Americans  I" 

"  Yes,  gentlemen,  those  were  his  very  words  I  " 
said  Madame  Brisson,  with  an  emphatic  nod. 

"  And  there  is  a  final  proof,"  went  on  Brisson,  ex- 
citedly; "a  proof  conclusive.     When  I  present  my 


52  THE  DESTROYER 

bill,  the  one  who  takes  It  grows  quite  red  with  anger. 
It  was  a  most  reasonable  bill  —  ninety-six  francs  for 
three  days,  with  many  extras  —  a  most  reasonable 
bill,  for  Americans.  It  was  then  that  I  knew  there 
was  something  wrong  —  that  they  were  imposters 
who  feared  the  police.  It  was  only  that  which  pre- 
vented a  scene.  *  Gabrielle,'  I  said,  as  they  went 
away  down  the  street,  *  those  men  have  something  to 
conceal.'  " 

"  Yes,  gentlemen,"  put  in  Gabrielle,  "  he  said  just 
that." 

"  There  is  even  worse  to  come,  sirs,"  and  Brisson 
dropped  his  voice  as  one  does  in  speaking  of  great 
horrors.  "  You  will  scarcely  credit  it,  but,  after 
having  had  us  at  their  heels  for  three  days,  upstairs, 
downstairs;  after  compelling  us  to  arise  in  the  dark 
of  night  to  prepare  their  breakfasts  —  this  person 
handed  me  a  note  for  a  hundred  francs  and  said  with 
a  lordly  air,  *  You  may  keep  the  change.'  The 
change  —  four  francs  I  And  yet  from  his  manner 
you  would  have  thought  he  was  giving  me  a  for- 
tune!" 

"  Have  you  still  that  hundred- franc  note?  "  Lepine 
inquired. 

"  But  certainly,  sir,"  answered  Madame  Gabrielle, 
and,  turning  her  back  to  the  company,  she  stooped 
quickly  and  arose  with  the  bill  In  her  hand. 

Lepine  took  it  and  examined  it  carefully  by  the 


THE  ALLIES  AT  WORK  53 

light  of  the  candle.  It  was  a  new  note,  apparently 
fresh  from  the  bank,  and  the  Prefect's  eyes  were 
shining  with  satisfaction  when  he  raised  his  head. 

"  I  shall  have  to  retain  this,''  he  said.  "  One  mo- 
ment," he  added,  as  Madame  Brisson  opened  her 
lips  to  protest;  *'  I  shall,  of  course,  give  you  another 
for  it,"  and  he  drew  out  his  purse,  placed  the  new 
note  carefully  in  a  flapped  compartment,  selected  an- 
other and  handed  it  to  the  anxious  lady,  who  re- 
ceived it  with  a  sigh  of  relief.  *'  And  now !  "  went 
on  Lepine,  "  please  tell  us  all  that  you  can  remember 
about  these  men  —  every  small  detail."  « 

Both  Monsieur  and  Madame  Brisson  grew  volu- 
ble at  once,  for  rarely  had  it  been  their  fortune  to 
address  so  attentive  an  audience.  But  there  were 
few  grains  of  wheat  among  the  chaff.  The  two 
strangers  had  arrived,  it  appeared,  on  the  evening  of 
the  twenty-second,  Friday.  They  were  Americans, 
they  said,  on  a  walking  tour.  Their  names?  Bris- 
son did  not  remember;  but  they  would  be  found  on 
the  police  registration  slip  which  he  had  caused  them 
to  fill  out  at  once  and  had  sent  to  the  Prefecture  that 
very  evening.  He  had  noticed  on  the  slip  that  they 
had  come  from  Marseilles  and  were  on  their  way  to 
Nice.  Their  bags  had  already  arrived  from  Mar- 
seilles, and,  at  their  direction,  he  had  had  them 
brought  up  from  the  station. 

'*  Where  are  the  bags  now?"  asked  Lepine. 


54  THE  DESTROYER 

"They  directed  that  they  be  sent  to  Nice,"  ex- 
plained Brisson.  "  I  despatched  them  yesterday 
morning,  as  I  agreed/' 

**  You  have  the  receipt?  " 

"  But  certainly,  sir,"  and  Brisson,  while  his  wife 
held  the  light,  rummaged  in  his  desk  and  finally  pro- 
duced the  paper  in  question. 

Lepine  placed  it  in  his  purse  beside  the  hundred- 
franc  note. 

"  Proceed,"  he  said.  "  In  what  way  did  these 
strangers  occupy  themselves  during  their  stay?  " 

They  were  absent  from  morning  till  night,  it  ap- 
peared, walking  about  the  streets,  about  the  docks, 
visiting  the  ships  in  the  harbour,  climbing  the  hills 
back  of  the  town,  and  even  going  as  far  as  Cape 
Cepet,  where  the  great  fort  is  —  penetrating,  in  a 
word,  to  every  nook  and  corner  which  it  is  possible 
for  visitors  to  enter.  In  fact,  in  the  two  days  of 
their,  stay,  they  had  seen  more  of  Toulon  than  had 
Brisson  in  the  twenty  years  of  his  residence. 

The  details  of  these  expeditions  Brisson  had 
learned  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  for  his  guests  had 
talked  but  little,  had  kept  to  themselves,  had  dis- 
couraged his  advances,  resented  his  questions,  and  of- 
ten pretended  that  they  did  not  understand  —  all  of 
which  was  in  itself  suspicious.  When  talking  to- 
gether, they  used  a  language  which  Brisson  supposed 
to  be  English ;  but  he  was  not  familiar  with  English ; 


THE  ALLIES  AT  WORK  55 

knew  only  a  few  words  of  it,  Indeed  — "  money," 
**  damn," —  such  words  as  every  one  knows.  Their 
French,  also,  was  very  bad, —  much  worse  at  some 
times  than  at  others.  .  .  . 

Lepine  finally  stopped  this  flow  of  language, 
when  it  became  apparent  that  nothing  but  chaff 
remained. 

"Do  any  further  questions  suggest  themselves?" 
he  asked,  looking  first  at  Crochard  and  then  at  PIgot 
"No?  You  understand,  my  friends,"  he  added, 
turning  back  to  the  Inn-keeper  and  his  wife,  "  that  of 
all  this  you  will  say  nothing  —  not  even  to  each 
other.  An  incautious  word,  and  you  may  find  your- 
selves in  a  most  difficult  position.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  you  are  careful,  if  you  are  reticent,  you  will 
not  be  forgotten." 

"  We  understand,  sir,"  said  they  both  in  a  breath, 
and  Brisson  added,  with  venom  in  his  voice,  "  They 
were  swine!  I  rejoice  that  they  did  not  get  their 
telegram !  " 

Lepine  jumped  as  though  a  pin  had  been  driven 
into  him. 

"Their  telegram?  What  do  you  mean?"  he 
cried. 

"  About  an  hour  after  they  were  gone,"  Brisson 
hastened  to  dxplain,  "  or  perhaps  two  hours  —  I  do 
not  know  —  a  messenger  appeared  with  a  telegram 
addressed  to  a  grotesque  name  —  Zhones,  Smeet  —  I 


56  THE  DESTROYER 

do  not  remember  —  in  care  of  the  Hotel  du  Nord. 
I  concluded  it  was  for  one  of  them,  and  told  the  mes- 
senger it  was  too  late,  that  the  man  had  departed  — 
to  Frejus,  to  Nice  —  I  did  not  know  whither.  So  he 
took  the  telegram  back  again." 

Lepine's  eyes  were  gleaming  as  he  glanced  at 
Crochard. 

"  I  am  glad  that  you  have  mentioned  this  detail, 
M.  Brisson,"  he  said.  "  I  thank  you  —  and  you 
also,  Madame !  '*  and  with  that,  he  and  his  compan- 
ions bade  the  worthy  couple  adieu. 

Once  in  the  street,  Crochard  paused. 

"  I  will  leave  you  now,  M.  Lepine,"  he  said. 
"  You  have  your  work  to  do  —  but  you  do  not  need 
me.  Should  I  have  anything  further  to  communi- 
cate, you  will  hear  from  me." 

"  And  if  we  wish  to  find  you?  " 

**  For  the  present,  I  am  staying  with  my  friend  on 
the  Quai  de  Cronstadt." 

"  Very  good,"  said  Lepine.  "  Good  night,"  and 
in  a  moment  he  and  Pigot  were  lost  in  the  dark- 
ness. 

The  rain  had  ceased  and  a  chill  wind  had  arisen, 
but  Crochard  did  not  seem  to  feel  it,  as  he  walked 
slowly  toward  the  quays,  his  head  bent  in  thought. 
An  ironical  smile  curved  his  lips,  as  he  pictured  Lepine 
off  upon  the  scent  first  to  the  Prefecture,  then  to  the 
post-office.     He  would  follow  it  well,  of  course;  he 


THE  ALLIES  AT  WORK  57 

would  run  it  to  the  end.  He  would  discover,  no 
doubt,  the  identity  of  the  two  travellers;  that  would 
not  be  difficult.  Crochard  himself  had  pointed  out 
the  way. 

But  what  then?  Even  if  they  were  found  to  be 
men  high  in  the  German  service,  that  was  of  small 
importance.  It  proved  nothing.  They  were  at 
liberty  to  visit  Toulon,  if  they  wished  to  do  so ;  and, 
after  all,  their  arrival  at  the  quay  five  minutes  before 
dawn  might  have  been  an  accident;  they  might  have 
lingered  for  a  last  look  at  La  Liberie  without  any 
suspicion  of  what  was  about  to  occur.  Such  a  coin- 
cidence, if  not  probable,  was,  at  least,  conceivable; 
and  such,  of  course,  would  be  their  explanation,  if  an 
explanation  was  ever  asked  for.  There  was  no  way 
to  disprove  it. 

As  to  the  yacht  on  which  they  had  embarked — > 
well,  that,  too,  may  have  been  an  accident  —  a  boat 
belonging  to  a  friend  whom  they  had  come  upon  un- 
expectedly and  upon  which  they  had  been  persuaded 
to  take  a  cruise.  Suspicious  circumstances  —  yes, 
many  of  them ;  but  no  proof,  no  absolute  proof.  And 
nothing,  absolutely  nothing,  to  show  that  the  ex- 
plosion had  been  caused  by  any  outside  agency. 

Arrived  at  the  water-front,  Crochard  walked  on 
until  he  was  opposite  the  wreck.  There  he  sat  down, 
with  his  legs  overhanging  the  quay.  Two  or  three 
searchlights  were  still  focussed  on  the  ruin,  but  the 


58  THE  DESTROYER 

rescue  parties  had  been  withdrawn,  and  only  a  few 
sentries  remained.  He  could  see  how  that  formida- 
ble monster  of  a  ship  had  been  torn  and  twisted  into 
an  inextricable  and  hideous  mass  of  Iron  and  steel. 
One  turret  remained  above  the  water,  blown  over  on 
Its  side,  its  great  guns  pointing  straight  at  the  zenith ; 
but  the  rest  was  a  mere  tangle  of  metal. 

Such  destruction  could  have  been  wrought  only  by 
the  explosion  of  the  magazines;  no  mine  or  torpedo 
could  have  done  It.  And  as  he  gazed  at  the  mass 
of  wreckage  visible  above  the  water,  he  perceived  a 
certain  resemblance  to  photographs  he  had  seen  of 
the  wreck  of  the  Maine,  The  Maine^s  forward 
magazine  had  exploded;  but  Crochard  knew,  as  well 
as  M.  Delcasse  himself,  what  had  caused  that  ex- 
plosion. 

Perhaps  history  was  repeating  itself,  as,  pro- 
verbially. It  is  supposed  to  have  a  way  of  doing. 
But  Crochard  shook  his  head.  If  the  catastrophe 
was  not  an  accident,  then  It  was  the  result  of  some 
agency  far  more  subtle  than  mine  or  torpedo.  And, 
also,  if  it  was  not  an  accident,  those  two  men  who 
had  waited  In  the  shadow  of  the  doorway  back  of 
him  for  the  deed  to  be  accomplished,  must  have  had 
an  accomplice.  They  could  not  destroy  the  ship 
merely  by  staring  at  her!  Somewhere,  somewhere, 
concealed  but  not  far  distant,  that  accomplice  must 
have  awaited  the  first  beam  of  the  rising  sun  as  the 


THE  ALLIES  AT  WORK  59 

signal  to  hurl  bis  thunderbolt,  to  loose  his  mysterious 
power ! 

What  was  that  power?  How  had  the  thing  been 
done?  Those,  Crochard  felt,  were  the  questions  to 
be  answered.  As  to  who  had  done  it,  or  why  it 
had  been  done  —  that  could  wait.  But  if  there  ex- 
isted in  the  world  a  force  which,  directed  from  a  dis- 
tance, noiseless,  invisible.  Impalpable,  could  destroy 
a  battleship  asleep  at  her  anchorage,  then  indeed  did 
It  behoove  France  to  discover  and  guard  against  it  I 

At  last,  his  head  still  bent,  Crochard  arose,  crossed 
the  quay,  opened  the  door  of  Number  Ten,  and  en- 
tered. 

No  doubt  it  would  have  interested  both  him  and 
M.  Delcasse  to  know  how  nearly  parallel  the  chan- 
nels of  their  thoughts  had  run! 


CHAPTER  V 

AT  THE   CAFE   DES   V0YAGEUR8 

M.  Delcasse  was  scarcely  out  of  bed,  next  morning, 
when  Leplne^s  card  was  brought  In  to  him.  He 
smiled  as  he  read  the  line  scrawled  across  it:  "  My 
report  awaits  Monsieur." 

"  Show  M.  Leplne  into  the  breakfast-room,'*  said 
the  Minister,  ''  and  Inform  him  that  I  shall  be  down 
at  once.  Also  inquire  if  he  has  breakfasted.  If 
not,  see  that  he  is  served.'* 

He  hastened  on  with  his  toilet,  and,  five  minutes 
later,  joined  Lepine,  whom  he  found  at  his  favourite 
amusement  of  standing  at  a  window  and  gazing  into 
the  street  —  an  amusement  which  occupied  every 
idle  moment,  sometimes  with  the  most  astonishing 
results.  Chance  plays  a  larger  part  in  life  than  most 
people  are  willing  to  admit;  Lepine  believed  in  it; 
went  half-way  to  meet  it  —  and,  more  than  once, 
had  seen  drifting  past  him  along  the  pavement  the 
face  for  which  his  best  men  had  been  searching 
vainly. 

Lepine,  it  appeared,  had  already  breakfasted,  and, 
while  the  Minister  ate,  told  of  the  interrogation  at 
the  Hotel  du  Nord.     He  had  sent  one  of  his  men  to 

60 


AT  THE  CAFE  DES  VOYAGEURS      6i 

Nice,  with  the  receipts  for  the  bags,  and  if,  as  seemed 
probable,  they  were  still  uncalled  for,  they  woulfl 
be  examined  at  once. 

"  Though,  even  if  they  are  still  there,"  Lepine 
added,  **  we  shall  probably  discover  nothing  of  mo- 
ment. One  does  not  place  anything  of  value  in  a 
bag  and  then  abandon  it.  But  I  have  another  clue 
of  the  first  importance,''  and  he  produced  the  hun- 
dred-franc note.  **  Here  is  the  note  given  to  Brisson 
by  one  of  the  strangers.  You  perceive  that  it  is  quite 
new.  I  suggest  that  you  send  the  number  of  this 
note  to  the  Bank  of  France,  ascertain  when  and  to 
whom  it  was  issued,  and  if  any  other  notes  of  the 
series  were  issued  at  the  same  time.'' 

"  I  will  do  so,"  said  M.  Delcasse,  and  made  a 
note  of  the  number.  "  I  agree  with  you  that  this 
is  most  important." 

'*  One  thing  more,"  went  on  Lepine,  replacing  the 
note  in  his  pocket-book  and  extracting  a  slip  of  paper ; 
''  a  small  thing,  but  of  significance.  I  have  here 
the  police  blanks  which  the  two  men  filled  out  upon 
arriving  at  the  Hotel  du  Nord.  Their  names,  you 
see,  are  given  as  George  Arnold  and  William  Smith, 
their  home  as  New  York  City,  United  States  of 
America.  If  you  will  notice  the  *  S  '  of  the  word 
*  Smith,'  you  will  see  that  it  Is  made  in  the  German 
manner." 

**  That  Is  true;  but  it  may  mean  nothing.     There 


62  THE  DESTROYER 

are  many  Germans  who  are  citizens  of  the  United 
States." 

'^  Yes;  but  the  German  name  is  Schmidt,  not  Smith. 
I  conclude  that  this  man  is  a  German,  but  was  trying 
to  conceal  it." 

"  You  may  be  right,"  Delcasse  assented,  with  a 
trace  of  impatience  in  his  manner;  "  no  doubt  you  are 
right.     Is  there  anything  more?" 

"  There  is  one  thing,"  said  Lepine,  colouring  a 
little,  "  which  I  have  kept  until  the  last,  because  it 
seems  to  upset  M.   Crochard's  theory." 

"What  is  that?"      ' 

Lepine  drew  two  sheets  of  yellow  tissue-paper 
from  his  pocket-book. 

"  An  hour  after  our  men  left  the  Hotel  du  Nord," 
he  said,  "  a  telegram  arrived,  addressed  to  this  Wil- 
liam Smith.  Here  it  is,"  and  he  spread  out  one  of 
the  sheets  on  the  desk  before  the  Minister. 

Delcasse  bent  forward  eagerly  and  read: 

"  William  Smithy  Hotel  du  Nord,  Toulon,  France. 

"  Our  mother  requests  that  you  abandon  trip,  cancel  all 
arrangements,  and  return  at  once. 

"  Alfred." 

"Well?"  and  Delcasse  looked  up  at  his  compan- 
ion. 

"  That  would  seem  to  show,  sir,"  said  Lepine, 
"  that  William  Smith  was  only  an  ordinary  traveller. 


AT  THE  CAFfe  DES  VOYAGEURS      63 

after  all.  You  will  see  that  it  was  filed  at  Brussels 
at  noon  of  Sunday,  the  twenty-fourth.  It  was  de- 
layed in  transmission,  and  for  some  reason  was  not 
received  at  Toulon  until  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
Messages  here  are  not  delivered  on  Sunday  evening 
after  eight  o'clock,  and  this  was  held  until  seven  the 
next  morning.  At  that  hour,  William  Smith  was  no 
longer  at  the  hotel." 

"Well?"  asked  Delcasse  a  second  time. 

**  Well,"  Lepine  continued,  "  at  ten  minutes  past 
six  on  Monday  morning,  this  message  was  filed  at 
the  office  here,"  and  he  spread  out  the  second  sheet 
of  tissue. 

Again  Delcasse  bent  forward,  and  read: 

*'  Alfred  Smith,  Restante,  Brussels. 

"  We  continue  our  trip  as  planned.  All  well.  Next 
address  Nice. 

"  William," 

"  You  will  see,"  Lepine  went  on,  **  that  these  mes- 
sages are  such  as  an  ordinary  tourist  would  send  and 
receive." 

But  Delcasse  was  not  listening.  He  was  reading 
the  messages  a  second  time  and  yet  a  third,  and 
there  was  a  wrinkle  of  perplexity  between  his  brows. 
At  last  he  looked  up,  and  the  Prefect  was  astonished 
at  the  expression  of  his  face. 

**  There  is  one  thing  I  forgot  to  tell  you  last  night, 


64  THE  DESTROYER 

Lepine,"  he  said.  "  I  did  not  myself  see  its  signifi- 
cance until  I  had  got  to  bed.  The  first  telegram 
received  from  any  foreign  power  in  reference  to  the 
disaster  was  from  the  German  Emperor/^ 

Lepine  smiled. 

*'  The  German  Emperor  was  the  first  to  get  word 
of  it,"  he  said.  "  I  examined  the  other  telegrams 
filed  Monday  morning.  At  ten  minutes  to  seven, 
the  German  consul  here  notified  the  Minister  of 
State  at  Berlin  of  the  explosion.  Admiral  Bellue 
did  not  file  his  message  to  you  until  forty  minutes 
later.  No  doubt  he  wished  to  assure  himself  of  the 
extent  of  the  disaster,  in  order  not  to  alarm  you 
needlessly.  You  should  have  received  it  not  later 
than  eight  oVlock." 

''  It  was,  in  fact,  a  few  minutes  before  that  hour. 
And  when  I  reached  the  Elysee  Palace,  I  found  the 
President  with  a  message  from  the  Kaiser  in  his 
hand.     It  struck  me  as  most  peculiar." 

"  It  was  ironic,  certainly,"  agreed  Lepine,  "  but, 
under  the  circumstances,  easily  explained." 

''You  think,  then—" 

"  I  think  that  Crochard  has  assumed  too  much;  I 
think  that,  before  we  accuse  these  men,  we  need  more 
proof." 

Delcasse  pushed  back  his  chair  and  paced  for  some 
moments  nervously  about  the  room.  At  last  he  sat 
down  again,  and  rolled  and  lighted  a  cigarette. 


AT  THE  CAFf  DES  VOYAGEURS     65 

"  You  are  right/*  he  said;  "  we  need  more  proof. 
It  is  for  you  to  find  it,  if  it  exists.  And  at  this  mo- 
ment, I  am  interested  not  so  much  in  the  movements 
of  these  men,  as  in  the  cause  of  the  explosion.  Even 
supposing  that  they  had  a  hand  in  it,  how  was  it 
accomplished?  " 

Lepine  returned  the  telegrams  to  his  pocket. 

"  I  agree  with  you,'*  he  said,  "  that  that  is  the 
vital  question.     And  I  am  unable  to  answer  it.'* 

"  I  shall  institute  a  Board  of  Inquiry  at  once,** 
went  on  the  Minister;  "  I  have,  in  fact,  already  sum- 
moned the  officers  who  will  compose  it.  I  will  ar- 
range for  it  to  visit  the  wreck  and  begin  to  take 
evidence  to-day,  as  it  is  important  that  the  evidence 
be  secured  while  the  event  is  still  fresh.  I  would 
suggest  that  you  place  some  of  your  men  at  the 
disposition  of  the  Board." 

"  Very  well,  sir,**  Lepine  agreed,  and  withdrew. 

Toulon  was  awake  again,  and  the  streets  were 
thronged  as  on  a  fete  day.  The  first  shock  of  the 
disaster  had  passed,  and  the  inborn  cheerfulness  of 
the  people  was  asserting  itself.  The  excuse  for  a 
holiday  was  not  to  be  oveVlooked,  and  every  one  who 
could  take  a  day,  or  even  an  hour  of  leisure,  did  so, 
and  spent  it  partly  on  the  quays  staring  at  the  wreck, 
partly  in  the  Place  de  la  Liberte  listening  to  the 
orators,  partly  in  the  Place  d'Armes  watching  the 
men  at  work  draping  with  black  the  Maritime  Pre- 


66  THE  DESTROYER 

fecture,  where  the  Board  of  Inquiry  was  to  sit,  and 
the  church  of  Saint  Louis,  where  requiem  High  Mass 
was  to  be  celebrated.  Finally  as  much  as  remained 
of  the  holiday  was  spent  at  a  cafe  before  a  glass  of 
coffee  or  aperitif,  with  the  satisfaction  of  a  sacred 
duty  conscientiously  performed. 

Leplne,  as  he  made  his  way  through  the  crowd, 
noticed  that  there  was  no  longer  any  talk  of  treachery 
or  treason, —  even  the  word  "  sabotage  "  was  no 
longer  uttered.  Every  one  agreed  that  the  affair  was 
another  accident,  deplorable  indeed,  but  unavoidable 
and  without  dishonour,  and  so  not  to  be  taken  too 
deeply  to  heart.  France  could  build  other  battle- 
ships I  The  mercury  in  the  national  temperament 
was  asserting  itself. 

For  an  hour  Leplne  walked  about  with  thoughtful 
face,  listening  to  the  talk,  watching  the  crowd,  join- 
ing a  group  here  and  there,  catching  chance  words 
from  passers-by.  He  had  had  only  three  hours' 
sleep,  but  he  showed  no  trace  of  fatigue.  Certainly 
nothing  was  farther  from  his  thoughts  at  this  mo- 
ment than  that  he  needed  rest. 

He  made  his  way  at  last  to  the  Quai  de  Cronstadt 
and  joined  the  crowd  which  was  staring  at  the  wreck. 
lA  barge  had  been  moored  alongside,  and  a  heavy 
crane  was  lifting  the  detached  debris  Into  It  and  clear- 
ing the  way  for  the  searching  parties.  On  the  quay 
opposite  the  wreck,  at  Number  Ten,  was  a  cafe,  the 


AT  THE  CAPg  DES  VOYAGEURS     67 

Cafe  des  Voyageurs  as  its  sign  announced,  and  to 
this  Lepine  presently  crossed,  sat  down  at  a  table 
and  ordered  a  bock. 

The  cafe  was  crowded,  for  Its  situation  could  not 
have  been  more  fortunate;  a  steady  stream  of  money 
had  poured  into  the  pockets  of  its  proprietor  ever 
since  the  disaster.  The  shattered  windows  were  in 
themselves  an  advertisement,  and  no  effort  had  as 
yet  been  made  to  replace  them.  Lepine  looked  about 
the  place  with  Interest.  It  was  not  large,  but  it  had 
a  certain  air  of  prosperity  bespeaking  a  good  patron- 
age, even  at  ordinary  times.  At  the  Prefecture,  Le- 
pine had  made  some  discreet  inquiries  concerning  its 
proprietor,  who,  he  was  told,  had  the  reputation  of 
being  an  honest  fellow  and  had  never  been  in  trouble 
with  the  police.  Nevertheless,  as  a  friend  of  Cro- 
chard*s,  Lepine  would  have  welcomed  a  look  at  him ; 
but  the  place  at  the  moment  was  apparently  in  charge 
of  the  head-waiter.  It  was  the  head-waiter  himself 
who  responded  when  Lepine  rapped  for  the  **  ad- 
dition," and,  as  he  paid  it,  slipped  a  note  into 
his  hand.  Lepine  opened  it,  under  cover  of  his  hat, 
and  found  that  it  contained  a  single  line: 

**  Monsieur  C.  will  welcome  a  conference  with  Mon- 
sieur L." 

Without  a  word,  Lepine  arose  and  followed  the 
man,  who  crossed  the  room,  opened  a  door  at  the 
farther  end  of  it,  stood  aside  for  him  to  pass,  and 


6^  THE  DESTROYER 

then  gently  closed  it.  Lepine  found  himself  In  a 
little  room  with  a  single  window  opening  upon  a 
court.  It  was  furnished  with  a  table  and  three  chairs, 
and  at  the  table  sat  Crochard.  He  motioned  Le- 
pine to  a  seat. 

"  I  was  expecting  you,"  he  said,  with  a  little  smile; 
"  and  I  am  glad  you  came.  In  the  presence  of  that 
good  PIgot,  one  cannot  talk  freely.  Indeed,  It  was 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  I  maintained  a  sober 
countenance.  He  was  so  astonished,  so  over- 
whelmed, that  you  and  I  should  be  working  together 
—  that  we  should  be  able  to  sit  in  the  same  room 
without  flying  at  each  other's  throats.  If  he  only 
knew  — " 

*'  Is  It  necessary  to  go  Into  that?  ''  asked  Lepine. 

"  Why  not?  You  have  no  reason  to  be  ashamed 
of  it.  If  you  have  sought  my  aid  from  time  to 
time,  it  was  because  you  realised  that  Crochard  the 
Invincible  has  sources  of  information  which  are  closed 
to  the  police." 

"  I  said  as  much  to  M.  Delcasse.  It  was  not  of 
myself  I  was  thinking,  but  of  you.  What  if  your 
friends  knew?  " 

*'  My  friends?  I  have  never  betrayed  my  friends, 
as  you  know  well.  Surely,  Lepine,  you  have  under- 
stood that,  if  I  assisted  you,  it  was  only  because  it 
suited  me  to  do  so!  " 

**  Yes,  I  have  understood  that,"  assented  Lepine, 


AT  THE  CAF^  DES  VOYAGEURS     69 

flushing  a  little  at  the  other's  tone.  *'  You  always 
had  a  bargain  to  propose.  What  is  the  bargain, 
this  time?" 

"  There  is  no  bargain,"  retorted  Crochard,  curtly. 
*'  I  ask  nothing." 

Lepine  cast  at  him  an  astonished  glance. 

"What!  "  cried  Crochard,  his  face  suddenly  red, 
"you  cannot  believe  the  truth,  then?  It  seems  in- 
credible to  you  that  I  should  love  my  country?  Well, 
I  do  love  her,  and  I  am  going  to  prove  it  by  saving 
her!" 

"  Is  she  in  need  of  saving?  "  queried  Lepine,  iron- 
ically. 

Crochard's  eyes  gleamed;  then,  in  a  moment,  his 
anger  passed. 

"  Delcasse  believes  so ;  Lepine  does  not :  behold 
the  difference  between  a  great  man  and  a  clever 
one,''  he  said,  and  looked  at  Lepine  with  pity  in  his 
eyes. 

"Well,  yes,"  said  the  Prefect;  "I  admit  it;  I 
make  no  claim  to  greatness.  I  perceive  no  danger 
—  nor,  for  the  matter  of  that,  does  M.  Delcasse." 

Crochard  looked  at  him  for  a  moment. 

"  Let  me  see  the  registration  slip  from  the  Pre- 
fecture," he  said,  at  last. 

Without  a  word,  Lepine  got  out  his  pocket-book, 
produced  the  slip,  and  handed  it  to  his  companion. 

Crochard  studied  it  closely. 


70  THE  DESTROYER 

'*  You  have,  of  course,  remarked  the  German 
*  S,'  "  he  said,  at  last.  "  I  thought  so.  Now  the 
telegram  which  arrived  too  late." 

Lepine  passed  it  over  obediently. 

Crochard  read  it  and  re-read  it,  a  strange  light 
in  his  eyes. 

"  And  now  the  other  one,'*  he  said,  finally. 

Lepine  stared  at  him. 

"How  do  you  know  there  Is  another  one?"  he 
demanded. 

*'  Of  course  there  Is  another  one !  "  retorted  Cro- 
chard, Impatiently.     "Any  fool  would  know  that!  " 

Still  staring,  Lepine  handed  him  the  second  sheet 
of  tissue. 

Crochard  took  one  glance  at  it;  then  he  looked  at 
his  companion. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say,  Lepine,"  he  asked,  "  that, 
in  the  face  of  these  telegrams,  you  remain  uncon- 
vinced—  that  you  do  not  see  the  danger?" 

"  I  see  no  danger,"  repeated  the  Prefect,  dog- 
gedly. 

"  And  yet  I  tell  you,  Lepine,"  said  Crochard,  lean- 
ing forward  across  the  table  and  speaking  in  deadliest 
earnest,  "  that  the  danger  is  desperate.  You  are 
blind  to  It,  a  thing  which  astonishes  me;  M.  Del- 
casse  can  do  nothing  —  his  hands  are  tied  by  the 
red  tape  of  his  position.  There  remains  only  Cro- 
chard!    If  I  sit  idle,  If  I  fold  my  hands,  within  a 


AT  THE  CAFfi  DES  VOYAGEURS     71 

month  Germany  will  declare  war  and  will  sweep  over 
France  like  a  pestilence.  Yesterday  she  struck  the 
first  blow;  I  tremble  to  think  what  the  second  may 
bel" 

"But  war  I"  protested  Lepine.  "Nonsense! 
For  war  there  must  be  a  cause." 

"  A  pretext  will  do  —  and  a  pretext  can  always 
be  found.  Already  Germany  is  preparing  her  pre- 
text: she  has  demanded  equal  rights  with  France  in 
Morocco  —  a  preposterous  demand,  and  one  which 
France  can  never  grant.  What  cares  Germany 
about  Morocco?  Nothing!  But  the  pretext  must 
be  ready.  And  now,  Lepine,"  he  added,  pushing 
back  the  papers,  and  speaking  in  another  tone,  "  I  will, 
tell  you  why  I  have  come  to  you :  I  should  prefer  to 
work  alone;  but,  in  the  first  place,  it  was  necessary* 
to  provide  a  means  of  access  to  M.  Delcasse;  in  the 
second  place,  you  got  these  papers,  where  I  might 
have  failed;  in  the  third  place,  there  are  certain 
questions  to  which  you  can  get  an  answer  more  easily 
than  I." 

"  What  are  the  questions  ?  "  asked  Lepine,  moved, 
in  spite  of  himself,  by  Crochard's  manner. 

"  There  are  two  to  which  I  would  ask  you  to 
get  answers  at  once.  The  first :  does  the  government 
maintain,  or  has  it  authorised,  any  wireless  stations 
in  the  town  or  in  the  neighbourhood?  The  second: 
have  the  wireless  operators  on  any  of  the  battleships 


72  THE  DESTROYER 

noticed  any  unusual  interference  during  the  past  few 
days?  How  long  will  it  take  you  to  secure  answers 
to  those  questions  —  authoritative  answers?" 

"  An  hour.'' 

Crochard  glanced  at  his  watch. 

*'  It  is  now  ten  o'clock.  At  eleven,  you  will  ar- 
range for  a  conference  with  M.  Delcasse.  There 
must  be  no  one  present  but  we  three." 

"  M.  Crochard,"  said  Lepine,  drily,  "I  do  not 
like  your  imperatives.  I  am  not  accustomed  to 
them." 

"  M.  Lepine,"  Crochard  retorted,  "  my  way  of 
speaking  is  my  own,  and  I  am  too  old  to  change. 
In  this  affair,  it  is  you  who  work  with  me,  not 
I  with  you.  Shall  we  go  on,  or  shall  we  stop 
here?" 

Lepine  trembled  with  a  severe  inward  struggle. 
Crochard  impressed  and  fascinated  him;  but  his 
terms  were  humiliating. 

Crochard  met  his  gaze,  read  what  was  behind  it, 
and  leaned  forward  again  across  the  table. 

"  Lepine,"  he  said,  "  have  I  ever  failed  to  do  a 
thing  I  promised?  " 

"  No." 

"  I  shall  not  fail  this  time." 

"  What  is  it  you  promise?  " 

"  I  promise,"  said  Crochard,  and  raised  his  right 
hand  solemnly,   as  though  registering  an  oath,   ''  I 


AT  THE  CAF:^  DES  VOYAGEURS      73 

promise  to  find  the  man  who  destroyed  La  Liberie, 
and  to  save  my  country  I  " 

Lepine  gazed  at  him  for  a  moment,  then  pushed 
back  his  chair  and  rose  to  his  feet.  The  patriot  in 
him  had  triumphed. 

"  Where  shall  the  conference  with  M.  Delcasse 
take  place?"  he  asked. 

Crochard  smiled  at  the  question  and  at  the  little 
man's  impassive  face. 

"  Lepine,"  he  said,  "  on  my  word,  you  touch  great- 
ness sometimes,  and  I  find  myself  admiring  you  I 
Let  the  conference  take  place  at  ML.  Delcasse's  apart- 
ment. Oh,  yes ;  you  will  have  a  closed  carriage  wait- 
ing at  the  private  entrance." 

"  At  eleven  o'clock,"   agreed  Lepine. 

"  At  eleven  o'clock,"  repeated  Crochard,  a^nd 
waved  his  adieu.  Then,  as  the  door  closed  behind 
that  erect  little  figure,  he  sank  back  into  his  seat  with 
a  chuckle  and  touched  a  bell. 

An  inner  door,  concealed  so  cleverly  in  the  wall 
that  even  Lepine's  sharp  eyes  had  not  perceived  it, 
opened  and  a  man  looked  in. 

"  He  has  gone,"  Crochard  said.  "  Bring  some 
wine,  Samson,  and  two  glasses." 

The  door  closed,  but  opened  again  in  a  moment  to 
admit  the  man,  with  bottle  and  glasses.  He  placed 
them  on  the  table,  went  back  to  make  sure  that  the 
dc)or  was  closed,  and  then  sat  down  opposite  Cro- 


74  THE  DESTROYER 

chard.  Why  he  should  be  called  Samson,  unless  in 
derision,  was  hard  to  understand,  for  he  was  a  mere 
skeleton  of  a  man,  with  a  face  like  parchment.  But 
the  brow  was  high  and  the  eyes  bright  and  the  mouth 
as  tender  as  a  woman's. 

Crochard  glanced  at  the  label  on  the  cobwebbed 
bottle,  and  nodded  as  he  filled  his  glass. 

"  You  are  good  to  your  friends,  Samson,*'  he  said. 
"  Your  health !  " 

"  Yours !  "  said  Samson,  and  drained  his  glass. 
*'  Everything  I  have  Is  yours,  my  master;  you  know 
that!" 

"  Even  your  life?  " 

"  You  have  only  to  ask  It." 

Crochard  looked  at  him  with  smiling  eyes. 

"  I  believe  you,  my  friend,"  he  said.  *'  Some  day 
I  may  have  to  ask  it  —  but  not  yet.  Did  you  see 
the  man  who  just  left  me?  " 

"  It  was  M.  Lepine,"  said  Samson,  quietly. 

"Did  he  see  you?" 

"  No ;  but  If  he  had.  It  would  make  no  difference. 
He  would  not  know  me  now." 

"  Perhaps  not,"  Crochard  agreed,  and  glanced  at 
the  other's  wasted  face.  "And  yet  he  has  sharp 
eyes  and  a  wonderful  memory." 

"  I  will  keep  out  of  his  way,"  said  Samson. 

"  At  worst,  It  Is  only  a  question  of  another  rescue; 
but  avoid  him.  If  you  can.     You  have  a  good  station 


AT  THE  CAFfe  DES  VOYAGEURS      75 

here,  the  business  pays;  you  can  lead  a  quiet  life  — 
and,  from  time  to  time,  be  of  use  to  me.'' 

'*  The  last  is  the  most  important,"  said  Samson, 
and  filled  his  glass  again. 

'  "  Have  you  learned  anything  more  of  the  white- 
haired  man?  " 

*'  No;  but  I  will  know  more  before  evening." 

"  I  wish  especially  to  find  his  lodging.  If  he  is 
no  longer  there,  I  must  know  when  he  departed  and 
where  he  went." 

"All  that  you  shall  know;  I  will  see  to  it." 

"  No  detail  is  too  unimportant." 

"  I  shall  remember." 

"  And  perhaps,"  added  Crochard,  "  if  things  go 
well  —  for  this  is  an  affair  of  great  importance,  where 
for  once  I  am  working  on  the  side  of  the  law  —  I 
shall  be  able  to  secure  for  you  that  for  which  you 
have  longed  —  pardon  from  the  State,  rehabilitation, 
so  that  you  can  resume  your  own  name  and  live 
again  openly  with  your  family.  That  is  worth  work- 
ing for,  is  it  not?  " 

**  Ah  I  "  cried  Samson,  his  voice  quivering  with 
emotion.  **  If  you  could  do  that  I  But  it  is  impos- 
sible!" 

"  It  is  not  impossible!  "  said  Crochard,  and  struck 
the  table  with  his  open  hand.     "  I  promise  it!  " 

Samson  stared  at  him,  his  lips  working,  and  two 
large  tears  formed  slowly  in  the  corners  of  his  eyes, 


76  THE  DESTROYER 

brimmed  over  and  ran  down  his  cheeks.  If  Cro- 
chard  said  "  I  promise  It  I  "  the  thing  was  as  good 
as  done.  Suddenly  he  sat  upright  and  brushed  the 
tears  away.  s 

"  What  is  It  I  must  do?  '»  he  askel     "  Tell  me ! '' 
And  Crochard,  drawing  his  chair  closer,  began  his" 
rapid  instructions. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  SIGNALS 

M.  Delcass^  was  a  busy  man,  that  morning,  and 
he  snorted  with  derision  when  Lepine,  having  secured 
admission  for  a  moment,  told  him  of  Crochard's  re- 
,quest  for  an  audience  at  eleven  o'clock. 

"  Impossible !  "  he  said.  "  The  Board  of  Inquiry 
is  to  convene  at  that  hour,  and  I  must  be  present  to 
address  them.'' 

**  Perhaps  it  would  be  possible  to  adjourn  the 
meeting  until  afternoon,"  Lepine  suggested. 

Delcasse  stared  at  him  In  astonishment. 

*'  Possible,  yes,"  he  said;  *'  most  things  are  possi- 
ble. But  do  you  know  what  it  is  you  are  pro- 
posing? " 

"  I  am  proposing,"  said  Lepine  boldly,  "  that  you 
permit  nothing  to  Interfere  with  the  conference  which 
Crochard  requests." 

"  But  Crochard  —  who  Is  Crochard  that  I  should 
disturb  all  my  arrangements  for  him?  " 

"  I  will  tell  you  who  he  is,  sir,"  said  Lepine, 
gently;  **  he  is  the  man  whom,  next  to  yourself,  I  con- 
sider the  most  remarkable  In  France." 

77 


78  THE  DESTROYER 

Delcasse  softened.  The  compliment  was,  per- 
haps, not  delicate,  but  it  was  at  least  deserved. 

"iYou  believe  that?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  I  do  believe  it.  I  must  tell  you  more  of 
Crochard,  some  day.  Beside  him,  I  am  a  mere 
bungler  —  I  realise  It  more  deeply  each  time  I  meet 
him.  And  I  assure  you  that  I  am  not  one  to  under- 
estimate myself.'* 

Delcasse  looked  at  him  with  a  little  smile. 

**  It  seems  to  me  that  your  note  has  changed,"  he 
said.     **  This  morning — " 

"  I  have  seen  Crochard  since  then,"  explained  Le- 
plne,  simply. 

"  And  you  are  in  earnest  about  this  confer- 
ence? " 

**  In  deadly  earnest,  sir.     So  is  Crochard." 

Delcasse  pondered  a  moment. 

"  You  may  bring  him  here  at  seven  o^clock  to- 
night," he  said,  finally.  "  That  Is  the  first  moment 
I  have  at  leisure." 

"  It  will  not  do,  M.  Delcasse,"  said  Leplne,  firmly. 
"  The  other  inquiry  must  wait.  It  is  not  that  inquiry 
which  Is  Important,  it  is  this  one." 

Again  the  Minister  stared. 

"  But  It  seems  to  me  that  you  are  telling  me  what 
I  must  do,"  he  said.     "  Explain  yourself." 

"  Your  official  inquiry,"  answered  Leplne  boldly, 
**  for  all  the  famous  men  who  take  part  in  it,  will 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  SIGNALS  79 

discover  nothing  —  it  will  be  like  that  other  inquiry 
into  the  affair  of  the  JenaJ^ 

"And  what  will  yours  discover?" 

"  It  is  not  mine  —  it  is  Crochard's,"  Lepine  cor- 
rected. "It  is  he  who  is  in  command.  And  it 
seems  to  me  that  he  has  already  made  a  beginning. 
I  am  convinced  that  he  has  something  more  to  tell 
us.  He  has  charged  me  to  secure  answers  to  two 
questions." 

"What  are  they?" 

"  Whether  there  are  any  wireless  stations  in  the 
town,  or  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  whether  there 
has  recently  been  any  peculiar  interference  with  the 
working  of  the  instruments  on  our  battleships." 

"  Ah  I "  said  Delcasse,  whose  expression  had 
changed  from  irritation  to  one  of  absorbed  attention. 
"  So  he  has  thought  of  that,  also!  "  and  he  fell  into 
a  moment's  revery.  "  Very  well,  Lepine,"  he  added. 
"  I  believe  that  you  are  right.  I  will  arrange  for 
the  President  to  open  the  sitting,  and  I  will  summon 
the  man  who  can  answer  the  questions." 

He  rang  for  his  secretary,  and  Lepine  hastened 
away  to  secure  the  closed  carriage.  He  smiled  to 
himself  as  he  did  so.  How  incredulous  Pigot  and  all 
the  rest  would  be  should  they  ever  hear  that  their 
chief  had  obeyed  blindly  the  instructions  of  The  In- 
vincible, and  that  the  first  Minister  of  France  had 
altered  his  plans  in  accordance  with  them  I 


8o  THE  DESTROYER 

The  carriage  engaged  and  one  of  his  own  men 
placed  in  charge  of  It,  Lepine  took  his  station  at  the 
principal  entrance,  to  watch  the  crowd  until  Crochard 
should  appear.  The  corridors  were  thronged  with 
people,  hurrying  in  and  out.  Lepine  knew  many  of 
them,  for  a  whole  staff  had  been  brought  from  Paris 
to  carry  on  the  business  of  the  State,  and  more  than 
one  august  individual  paused  for  a  word  with  him. 
But  to  their  questions  he  could  only  respond  by  a 
shake  of  the  head. 

At  the  stroke  of  eleven,  Crochard  mounted  the 
steps  to  the  door,  and,  at  a  nod  from  the  Prefect, 
followed  him  up  the  stairs  Into  the  anteroom  of  Del- 
casse*s  suite.  An  attendant,  who  was  evidently  on 
the  watch  for  them,  showed  them  at  once  into  the 
Minister's  private  office.  He  was  deep  In  cor- 
respondence, but  he  Instantly  pushed  it  to  one  side 
and  dismissed  his  secretary. 

*'  Well,  M.  Crochard,"  he  said,  *'  Lepine  tells  me 
you  have  more  news  for  us.  Be  seated.  What  is 
the  news?  " 

'*  I  requested  that  M.  Lepine  should  make  certain 
inquiries  — " 

"  Yes,  about  the  wireless,"  and  Delcasse  looked 
at  him  closely.  "  Tell  me,  why  did  you  think  of 
that?" 

'*  I  do'not  know,"  answered  Crochard,  rubbing  his 
forehead  slowly;  ''  but  as  I  sat  last  night  gazing  at 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  SIGNALS  8i 

the  wreck,  a  thought  came  to  me  —  a  vague  thought 
—  not  to  be  put  Into  words  .  .  .'* 

"  Well/'  said  Delcasse,  as  he  paused,  **  I  had  the 
same  thought  last  night,  before  I  slept.  It  seems  to 
me  a  most  striking  coincidence.  Are  you  aware  that, 
in  the  case  of  the  Jena^  wireless  was  mentioned  as  a 
possible  cause? '' 

"Yes,"  answered  Crochard;  '*  I  am  aware  of 
that." 

The  eyes  of  the  two  men  met  In  a  long  glance. 
Then  Delcasse  touched  a  bell. 

*'  Introduce  General  Marbeau,''  he  said  to  his  sec- 
retary. 

The  latter  returned  In  a  moment  with  a  dark  little 
man  in  full  uniform.  Then  he  went  out  again  and 
closed  the  door.  The  little  man  bowed  deeply  to 
the  Minister  of  Marine. 

*'  Be  seated,  General,"  .said  Delcasse.  "  M.  Le- 
plne,  I  think  you  already  know  —  as  who  does  not  1 
This  other  gentleman  I  will  not  name  —  I  will  only 
say  that  he  is  a  coadjutor  whose  services  we  value 
very  highly.  He  has  certain  questions  to  ask  you, 
which  I  wish  you  to  answer  as  though  I  myself  were 
asking  them.  Proceed,  sir,"  and  he  nodded  to  Cro- 
chard. "  General  Marbeau  is  the  chief  of  our  wire- 
less service." 

**  What  wireless  stations  are  there  in  the  city  of 
Toulon,  General?"  Crochard  began. 


82  THE  DESTROYER 

"  None,  sir,  except  the  one  at  the  arsenal/*  Mar- 
beau  answered,  looking  at  his  questioner  with  discreet 
curiosity. 

"And  in  the  neighbourhood?" 

"  None  nearer  than  Marseilles." 

"  There  are  no  private  Installations?  " 

**  The  government  does  not  permit  private  instal- 
lations." 

*'  Yet  there  might  be  some,  clandestinely  built  ?  " 

"  That  is  possible." 

"  However,  you  can  assure  me  of  this:  If  any  such 
do  exist,  they  are  outside  the  law?  " 

"  Undoubtedly." 

"Why  are  private  stations  prohibited?" 

"  They  are  prohibited  because  they  would  interfere 
with  the  government  stations.  You  understand,  sir, 
that  wireless  waves  clash  in  the  air,  as  it  were;  when 
they  cross  or  intermingle,  the  result  Is  a  confusing 
chatter,  until  the  sending  and  receiving  Instruments 
have  been  carefully  tuned  with  each  other.  Even 
that  does  not  always  overcome  it.  A  few  private 
stations  have  been  authorised  strictly  for  scientific 
purposes,  but  there  is  none  nearer  than  that  at  the 
University  of  Lyons." 

"  Do  you  ever  suffer  from  interference  here?  " 

"Oh,  yes;  the  English  have  a  very  powerful  sta- 
tion at  Gibraltar  and  another  at  Malta;  their  battle- 
ships are  all  equipped  with  it,  as  are  those  of  Italy. 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  SIGNALS  83 

So  ^re  most  of  the  passenger  steamers  which  enter 
the  Mediterranean.  The  air  is  often  filled  with 
messages." 

*'  Has  there  been  any  such  interference  during  the 
past  few  days?  " 

**  Yes,  a  great  deal  of  it;  one  instance  in  particular 
of  which  my  operators  have  complained.'* 

"  Ah !  "  said  Crochard.  "  Will  you  tell  us  exactly 
what  it  was? '' 

"  Last  Saturday,"  explained  Marbeau,  "  about 
three  in  the  afternoon,  there  came  from  somewhere 
a  series  of  long  dashes,  lasting  nearly  half  a  second, 
and  spaced  about  two  seconds  apart.  This  continued 
for  perhaps  half  an  hour." 

"You  had  no  idea  as  to  their  origin?" 

"  We  thought  that  perhaps  the  English  were  tun- 
ing up  a  new  and  very  powerful  instrument  at  Gibral- 
tar." 

"  You  had  no  way  of  verifying  this?  " 

**  We  did  not  try  to  do  so." 

"Was  this  interruption  repeated?" 

"  Yes;  our  automatic  recorder  shows  that  the  sig- 
nals began  again  a  little  before  five  o'clock  yesterday 
morning  and  continued  for  nearly  two  hours." 

Crochard's  eyes  were  shining. 

"At  what  hour  was  La  Liberte  destroyed?"  he 
asked. 

*'  The  first  explosion  was  at  5  150.     There  were 


84  THE  DESTROYER 

two  others,  a  few  minutes  apart.  The  main  maga- 
zine exploded  at  very  close  to  six  o'clock." 

"  So  that  these  signals  began  at  least  an  hour  be- 
fore and  continued  nearly  an  hour  past  that  time?  " 

''That  is  so,  sir,"  assented  Marbeau,  In  surprise; 
"  but  I  can  imagine  no  connection  — " 

"  Do  not  imagine  anything,"  broke  In  Delcasse 
quickly,  his  voice  quivering  with  excitement.  "  Per- 
haps there  is  no  connection;  but  nevertheless  I  think 
these  signals  should  have  been  reported  to  me. 
Come  in,"  he  added,  as  a  tap  sounded  at  the  door. 

His  secretary  entered  and  handed  him  a  telegram. 
Delcasse^s  eyes  were  positively  gleaming  as  he  read  it. 

"  Better  and  better !  "  he  cried.  "  Oh,  this  is  a 
game  after  my  own  heart!  "  and  he  tossed  the  tele- 
gram to  Leplne.  "Read  it  aloud!"  he  added, 
*'  that  I  may  be  sure  my  eyes  have  not  deceived  me  1  " 

And  Leplne  picked  up  the  message  and  read: 

"  Note  B162864R,  one  hundred  francs,  one  of  series  of 
three  hundred  such  notes  sent  to  Imperial  Bank,  Berlin, 
September  8. 

"  LiNNE,  Governor  Bank  of  France." 

There  was  a  moment's  silence,  Marbeau  staring 
blankly,  but  the  other  three  gazing  Into  each  other's 
faces  with  shining  eyes. 

"Perfect,  perfect!"  murmured  Delcasse,  and 
seized  the  telegram  and  read  it  again. 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  SIGNALS  85 

**  The  next  step,  sir,"  said  Crochard  quietly,  '*  Is 
to  instruct  every  bank  in  France  to  report  immediately 
the  receipt  of  any  of  the  other  two  hundred  and 
ninety-nine !  " 

Delcasse  drew  a  deep,  breath,  pulled  a  pad  of 
blanks  toward  him,  and  scribbled  a  few  words. 

**  See  that  this  is  sent  at  once,*'  he  said,  and  the 
secretary  took  the  message  and  hastened  away. 

Then  Delcasse  did  sortiething  which  he  had  not 
done  since  that  night,  five  years  before,  when  word 
came  that  England  had  signed  the  secret  treaty:  he 
removed  his  great  glasses,  got  out  his  handkerchief, 
and  deliberately  wiped  his  eyes. 

"  Your  pardon,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  with  a 
twisted  smile.  "  This  is  for  me  a  great  moment. 
You  know  my  dream!  I  believed  it  shattered;  but 
now  I  think  that  it  may  yet  come  true !  '*  He 
snapped  his  glasses  on  again  and  swung  around  to 
Crochard.  "  If  It  does,''  he  added,  "  I  shall  have 
you  to  thank  I     Proceed  with  your  questions." 

"  There  are  no  more  questions,  sir,"  said  Cro- 
chard; "  but  we  have  a  little  excursion  to  make.  It 
will  consume  perhaps  an  hour,  and  I  think  that  you 
will  find  it  interesting.  M.  Lepine  has  a  closed  car- 
riage at  the  private  entrance.  I  would  suggest  that 
General  Marbeau  accompany  us.  He  will  be  of 
great  service.     Can  we  start  at  once?  " 

For  answer,  Delcasse  leaped  to  his  feet  and  seized 


86  THE  DESTROYER 

his  hat.  There  was  no  longer  In  his  mind  any  ques- 
tion as  to  the  importance  of  this  Inquiry,  and  the 
comparative  unimportance  of  that  other  one,  opening 
with  much  pomp  at  the  Prefecture.  In  fact,  he  had 
forgotten  all  about  it! 

**  The  private  entrance,  you  say?"  he  asked. 
**  Then  come  this  way,"  and  he  led  the  way  down 
the  private  staircase.     The  carriage  stood  at  the  curb. 

Crochard  glanced  at  the  driver. 

"  He  is  your  man,  of  course?  "  he  said  to  Leplne. 
"  Good."  And,  as  the  others  entered,  he  stopped 
to  speak  a  few  words  to  him.  Then  he,  too,  leaped 
inside,  and  slammed  the  door. 

The  driver  spoke  to  his  horses,  and  they  were  off, 
along  the  Rue  Natlonale,  across  the  Place  St.  Roche, 
through  the  Botanic  Gardens,  past  the  Marine  Ob- 
servatory, under  the  Porte  Natlonale,  and  through 
the  faubourgs.  At  the  end  of  twenty  minutes,  the  town 
was  leftl)ehlnd,  and  Crochard  stopped  the  carriage, 
got  out,  and  mounted  to  the  seat  beside  the  driver. 

Then,  at  a  slower  pace,  the  carriage  climbed  a 
narrow  road  leading  toward  the  hills  back  of  the 
town.  It  was  apparently  little  used,  for  It  was  over- 
grown with  grass,  over  which  the  carriage-wheels 
rolled  noiselessly.  Inside  the  carriage,  Delcasse 
spoke  only  once. 

**  On  this  day  of  surprises,  I  am  prepared  for  any- 
thing I  "  he  declared,  and  relapsed  into  silence. 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  SIGNALS  87 

At  last  the  carriage  stopped,  and,  pulling  back  the 
curtains,  those  within  it  saw  they  were  in  the  midst 
of  a  grove  of  lofty  beeches. 

Crochard  jumped  from  the  seat  and  opened  the 
door. 

"We  must  get  out  here,''  he  said;  and  when  the 
others  had  alighted,  he  started  off  before  them  among 
the  trees. 

Delcasse  kept  close  at  the  leader's  heels,  fairly 
panting  with  eagerness.  Lepine  followed  and  Mar- 
beau  came  last.  The  rustling  of  the  dead  leaves 
beneath  their  feet  was  the  only  sound  which  broke 
the  stillness.  At  the  end  of  five  minutes,  they  came 
to  what  was  apparently  a  deserted  shed.  Its  door 
was  secured  by  a  heavy  hasp  and  padlock.  Crochard 
drew  a  key  from  his  pocket,  opened  the  padlock,  re- 
leased the  hasp,  and  threw  back  the  door.  ^ 

"  Enter,  my  friends!  "  he  cried,  and  stood  aside 
that  they  might  pass. 

They  crowded  In  and  stood  staring  about  them. 
For  a  moment.  In  the  semi-darkness,  they  could  see 
nothing;  then  certain  vague  shapes  detached  them- 
selves —  a  table,  a  chair,  strange  jars,  a  queer-look- 
ing clock  .  .  . 

Marbeau  uttered  a  sudden  startled  exclamation. 

**  Why,  this  is  a  wireless  plant  I  "  he  cried. 

"  Precisely,  sir!  "  agreed  Crochard.  **  The  plant 
from  which  came  those  peculiar  signals  1  " 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   HUT  IN   THE   GROVE 

General  Marbeau  bent  with  the  Interest  of  an 
expert  above  the  rude  table  on  which  the  apparatus 
was  Installed,  and  examined  it  for  some  moments  in 
silence.  Then  he  straightened  up  and  glanced  at 
Delcasse. 

"Well?"  asked  the  latter. 

"  It  is,  indeed,  a  wireless  installation,  sir,"  said 
Marbeau,  **  or,  at  least,  part  of  one.  Most  of  the 
instruments  of  transmission  are  here,  but  there  are 
no  recording  instruments.  In  other  words,  wireless 
messages  might  be  sent  from  here,  but  none  could  be 
received  —  unless  this  is  a  recorder  of  some  sort," 
and  he  pointed  to  a  small  instrument  of  clock-like 
appearance  which  stood  on  the  table. 

"  No,"  said  Crochard;  "  that  is  not  a  recorder  — 
that  Is  the  sender." 

**  The  sender?  "  repeated  Marbeau. 

"  Yes.     You  have  noticed  there  is  no  key?" 

"  Yes,  and  I  do  not  understand  its  absence." 

"This  device  takes  the  place  of  it  —  it  was  by 
means  of  this  that  the  spaced  signals  were  sent.^ 
Listen." 

88 


THE  HUT  IN  THE  GROVE  89 

He  bent  above  the  clock,  and  the  others  heard  a 
sound  as  of  a  strong  spring  being  wound.  Then  he 
stood  erect:  there  were  two  sharp  ticks;  then  a  long 
white  snap  of  electricity ;  two  ticks  and  another  snap ; 
two  ticks  and  another  snap  .  .   . 

"Yes,  that  is  the  signal!*^  cried  Marbeau,  and 
bent  again  above  the  mechanism.  In  a  moment  he 
understood. 

Before  the  clock-face  was  a  single  long  hand,  a 
second-hand,  terminating  in  a  thin,  spring-like  strip 
of  platinum.  The  circumference  of  the  face  was  di- 
vided into  sixty  spaces,  and  at  every  third  space  was 
a  slender  copper  pin,  which  the  end  of  the  second- 
hand touched  in  passing.  Two  wires,  one  connected 
with  the  second-hand,  the  other  presumably  with  the 
copper  pins,  ran  from  the  clock  down  to  the  heavy 
batteries  on  the  floor.  Every  three  seconds  the  cir- 
cuit was  automatically  closed,  and  a  long  flash  sent 
along  the  conducting  wire  out  in\:o  the  air.  Marbeau 
stood  listening  for  a  moment  longer,  then  loosened 
one  of  the  wires.     The  signals  stopped. 

"  Now  let  us  see  the  aerial,"  he  said,  and  led  the 
way  outside. 

But  there  was  no  aerial  in  sight.  Then  Cro- 
chard*s  finger  pointed  out  a  series  of  wires  among 
the  trees  to  the  left  of  the  hut.  Walking  directly 
beneath  them,  Marbeau  saw  that  there  were  three 
wires  parallel  with  each  other,  and  that  they  were 


90  THE  DESTROYER 

stretched  between  two  trees  about  fifty  feet  apart. 
From  each  of  them  dropped  a  lead-wire,  and  these 
were  gathered  together  into  the  single  wire  which 
led  into  the  hut.  An  arm  of  wood  had  been  secured 
to  each  of  the  trees,  and  to  these  the  wires  were 
fastened  by  means  of  porcelain  insulators. 

"  But  such  an  aerial  would  not  be  effective  I  " 
Marbeau  protested.  "  It  would  be  muffled  and 
deadened  by  the  leaves  and  branches  all  about 
it." 

"  There  are  no  branches  in  front  of  it,'*  said  Cro- 
chard.  "If  you  will  look,  you  will  see  that  they 
have  been  very  carefully  cleared  away  in  that  single 
direction.  As  I  understand  wireless,  the  waves  re- 
leased from  those  wires  up  yonder  permeate  the  at- 
mosphere in  every  direction." 

"  That  is  true." 

"  With  equal  intensity?  " 

"  No ;  they  would  be  most  intense  in  the  direction 
in  which  the  wires  extend." 

**  Ah  1  "  said  Crochard.  "  And,  as  we  may  per- 
ceive from  the  way  in  which  the  trees  are  trimmed, 
it  was  only  in  that  direction  that  the  builder  of  this 
affair  desired  them  to  penetrate.  Can  you  not  guess 
what  that  direction  is?  If  you  will  climb  this  tree 
and  look  along  the  wires,  you  will  find  that  they  point 
directly  toward  the  wreck  of  L^  LiherteJ* 


THE  HUT  IN  THE  GROVE  91 

For  a  moment,'  the  three  stared  at  Crochard  with- 
out speaking,  then  Marbeau  threw  off  his  coat  and 
started  up  the  tree.  It  was  not  an  easy  climb,  but 
he  was  an  agile  man,  and  at  last  he  reached  the  arm 
to  which  the  wires  were  affixed.  He  remained  for 
some  moments  looking  out  along  them;  then  he 
slowly  descended. 

"  It  is  true,"  he  said,  in  a  low  voice,  as  he  resumed 
his  coat.  "  The  wires  could  hardly  have  been  so 
placed  by  accident." 

"  It  was  not  by  accident,"  said  Crochard.' 

**  And  yet,"  went  on  Marbeau,  **  I  do  not  see  what 
all  this  can  have  to  do  with  the  disaster." 

"  Nor  I,"  agreed  M.  Delcasse.  "  And  yet  as  M. 
Cro —  as  our  friend  here  says,  all  this  was  not  done 
by  accident." 

"I  would  suggest,"  said  Crochard,  "  that  we  re- 
turn to  M.  Delcasse^s  apartment.  We  can  talk 
there  without  fear  of  being  overheard  —  a  thing  that 
is  not  possible  among  all  these  trees." 

Marbeau  took  a  last  look  at  the  wireless  appa- 
ratus; then  Crochard  locked  the  door  of  the  hut,  and 
gave  the  key  to  the  Minister. 

**  Where  did  you  get  this  key,  my  friend?  "  asked 
Delcasse,  looking  at  It  curiously. 

"  About  that  there  Is  no  mystery,"  smiled  Cro- 
chard.    *'  I   purchased  It,    together  with   that  lock 


92  THE  DESTROYER 

yonder,  this  morning.  I  found  it  necessary  to  break 
the  original  lock  before  I  could  enter  the  hut.  It 
may  be  well  to  station  a  guard  here,"  he  added, 
*'  until  you  are  ready  to  dismantle  the  place." 

Delcasse  nodded,  and  slipped  the  key  into  his 
pocket;  and  together  they  made  their  way  to  the 
waiting  carriage. 

The  trip  back  was  a  silent  one.  Delcasse  and 
Lepine,  their  brains  aching  with  the  effort,  were  try- 
ing to  understand;  Marbeau,  convinced  that  the  ex- 
plosion could  not  have  been  caused  by  wireless,  was 
marshaling  his  reasons ;  and  Crochard  —  Crochard 
sat  with  placid  countenance  gazing  straight  ahead  of 
him  —  but  that  placid  countenance  masked  supreme 
intellectual  effort. 

At  last  the  carriage  stopped. 

"  You  will  wait  here,"  said  Delcasse  to  the  driver, 
and,  as  soon  as  he  reached  his  office,  summoned  his 
secretary  and  directed  that  a  guard  of  four  marines 
Be  sent  by  the  carriage  to  the  hut  in  the  grove. 
Then  he  sat  down,  rolled  a  cigarette,  and  passed 
tobacco  and  paper  to  his  companions.  "  And  now," 
he  said,  looking  at  Crochard,  "  let  us  hear  what  you 
have  to  tell  us." 

"There  Is  not  much  to  tell,  sir,"  answered  Cro- 
chard. "  I  learned  of  the  existence  of  this  hut  yes- 
terday evening.  Some  children,  searching  for  mush- 
rooms for  a  friend  of  mine,  who  is-  a  restaurateur. 


THE  HUT  IN  THE  GROVE  93 

happened  to  see  the  wires  among  the  trees,  and  told 
him  of  their  discovery.  He  thought  it  so  curious 
that  he  at  once  sent  word  to  me." 

"  And  you,  of  course,  sent  word  back  that  he  was 
to  tell  no  one  else,"  said  Delcasse,  with  a  smile. 

"  Yes,  I  thought  that  best.  I  paid  a  visit  to  the 
hut  as  soon  as  it  was  light  this  morning,  entered  it, 
examined  it,  and  convinced  myself  that  it  was  really 
a  wireless  station.  Then  I  made  certain  inquiries. 
The  grove,  it  appears,  is  owned  by  a  gentleman  of 
Marseilles,  and  was  once  much  larger  than  it  is  now. 
The  hut  was  built  for  the  use  of  charcoal-burners, 
but  has  not  been  occupied  for  more  than  two  years. 
I  would  suggest  that  the  police  ascertain  whether  the 
owner  was  aware  he  had  a  tenant." 

**  We  will  do  so,"  said  Delcasse.  "  But  who  was 
Ais  tenant?" 

**  There  is  some  doubt  on  that  point,"  answered 
Crochard  slowly.  **  That  little  road  is  used  but  sel- 
dom, for  a  better  one  now  leads  around  the  base  of 
the  hill;  and  few  people  ever  have  occasion  to  enter 
the  grove.  It  was,  of  course,  for  this  very  reason 
that  the  hut  was  chosen  for  this  installation.  I  have 
found  no  one  who  saw  any  man  at  work  there.  On 
the  other  hand,  a  friend  of  mine,  who  has  a  cabaret 
on  the  main  road  just  outside  the  city  gate,  has  seen 
pass  a  number  of  times  within  the  past  week  a  man 
who,  from  his  face  and  dress,  was  evidently  not  a 


94  THE  DESTROYER 

Frenchman,  and  whose  actions  appeared  id  my  friend 
to  be  suspicious." 

Delcasse  smiled. 

"You  seem  to  have  many  friends,"  he  remarked; 
"  and  unusually  observant  ones." 

**  Yes,"  agreed  Crochard;  "  I  am  fortunate  in  my 
friends;  and  they  find  it  greatly  to  their  interest  to 
keep  their  eyes  open." 

"  Did  you  secure  a  description  of  this  stranger?  " 

"  Yes ;  but  there  should  have  been  much  more  than 
a  mere  description.  Some  of  mty  friends  are  more 
intelligent  than  others.  Still,  it  may  be  of  service. 
This  stranger  was  a  small  man,  slightly  built,  with 
grey  hair  and  bright,  dark  eyes.  His  complexion 
was  also  rather  dark,  and  my  friend  hazarded  the 
guess  that  he  was  a  Spaniard.  He  was  dressed  in 
dark  clothes,  cut  after  a  fashion  not  French,  and 
wore  a  soft,  dark  hat." 

"But  that  is  a  splendid  description !  "  cried  Del- 
casse.    "  What  more  did  you  want?  " 

"  Ah,  sir,"  replied  Crochard,  "  if  it  had  been 
some  of  my  friends,  they  would  have  managed  to 
meet  this  man ;  they  would  have  engaged  him  in  con- 
versation, have  discovered  his  business  and  place  of 
abode;  instead  of  which,  this  friend  in  question 
merely  sits  at  the  door  of  his  cabaret  and  watches 
the  man  pass !  He  was  not  doing  his  duty  —  but  he 
will  not  make  such  a  mistake  again !  " 


THE  HUT  IN  THE  GROVE  95 

"His  duty?"  echoed  Delcasse.  "His  duty  to 
whom?  " 

"  His  duty  to  me,*'  replied  Crochard. 

"  But  I  do  not  understand,"  said  the  Minister, 
more  and  more  amazed.  "  Why  should  your  friends 
have  any  such  duty  to  you?  " 

Crochard  hesitated.  Leplne's  face  was  fairly 
saturnine. 

"  I  cannot  explain  that  to  you  now,  sir,"  said  Cro- 
chard, finally.  "  I  can  only  say  that  it  is  part  of  a 
system  which  has  existed  for  a  very  long  time,  and 
of  which  I  now  happen  to  be  the  head." 

Delcasse  pondered  this  for  a  moment,  his  eyes  on 
Crochard's  face.     Then  he  turned  to  Lepine. 

"  You  must  learn  more  of  this  stranger,  Lepine," 
he  said.  "  You,  also,  are  at  the  head  of  a  system  — 
and  a  very  expensive  one." 

"  Yes,  and  a  good  one,  sir,"  said  Lepine,  quickly. 
*'  One  which  is  worth  all  It  costs.  But  men  will  not 
work  for  money  as  they  do  for  self-interest;  and 
then,  my  system  is  a  mere  infant  beside  that  of  our 
friend  here,  which  must  be  at  least  two  hundred  years 
old." 

"Oh,  much  more  than  thatl"  said  Crochard, 
quickly,  and  smiled  at  Delcasse's  astounded  face. 
"  Please  understand,"  he  added,  "  that  I  do  not  as- 
sert that  this  is  the  man  we  want.  There  Is  as  yet 
no  absolute  proof,  though  I  hope  soon  to  have  it. 


96  THE  DESTROYER 

But  there  is  one  significant  fact:  when  going  from 
the  city  he  frequently  carried  a  heavy  bundle,  but 
never  when  returning." 

"  That  is  indeed  significant,"  agreed  Delcas^e. 
"  But  it  indicates  another  thing  which  astonishes  me. 
If  he  did  all  this  alone,  it  was  because  he  had  no  one 
to  assist  him.  But  if  he  had  no  accomplice,  who 
were  the  two  men  who  watched  the  destruction  of 
La  Liberie?  And,  above  all,  who  is  this  man  who 
plans,  alone  and  unaided,  the  destruction  of  our 
navy?  What  is  his  purpose?  Whence  did  he 
4:ome?  Whither  has  he  gone?  Is  he  a  madman  — 
an  anarchist?  "  Delcasse  ran  his  fingers  through  his 
hair  with  a  despairing  gesture.  "  He  astounds  me  I  " 
he  added.  "  My  brain  falters  at  thought  of  such  a 
man!" 

But  Marbeau,  to  whom  much  of  this  talk  had  been 
incomprehensible,  began  at  last  to  understand,  and 
shook  his  head  in  violent  protest. 

"Whoever  the  man  may  have  been,"  he  broke 
out,  "  or  whatever  his  business,  it  could  have 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  destruction  of  La  Lib- 
erter 

Delcasse  wheeled  upon  him. 

"  Why  do  you  say  that?  "  he  demanded. 

"  Because,  sir,  it  is  absurd  to  suppose  that  the 
magazines  of  the  ship  could  be  exploded  by  wireless. 
Wireless  has  no  such  power.     And,  in  this  Instance, 


THE  HUT  IN  THE  GROVE  97 

it  Is  quite  easy  to  prove  that  they  were  not  so  ex- 
ploded.'* 

"  Prove  It,  then,**  said  the  Minister,  impatiently. 

"  In  the  first  place,  the  signals,  which  we  now 
know  came  from  that  hut  up  yonder,  were  first 
noted  on  Saturday.  They  continued  for  half  an 
hour,  and  yet  no  explosion  occurred.  In  the  second 
place,  we  caused  them  to  be  repeated  to-day,  and 
again  there  was  no  explosion.** 

"  La  Liberie  was  no  longer  there  to  explode,** 
Delcasse  objected  grimly. 

*'  True;  but  there  were  other  ships  near  by  —  La 
Pairie,  La  Republique,  La  Verite,  These  ships  and 
others  were  also  there  at  the  time  of  the  explosion, 
yet  they  were  not  affected,  although  all  of  them  had 
precisely  the  same  sort  of  powder  In  their  maga- 
zines that  La  Liherte  had  In  hers.** 

**  But  you  have  already  said  that  the  waves  could 
be  intensified  in  a  certain  direction,**  Delcasse  pointed 
out. 

"  So  they  can ;  but  they  cannot  be  confined  to  a 
channel  nor  directed  at  a  mark,  as  a  bullet  Is.  The 
hut  in  the  grove  is  fully  three  miles  away  from  the 
harbour,  and  I  assert  that  every  ship  In  the  harbour 
felt  the  waves  with  the  same  Intensity  as  La 
Liberie/' 

"And  what  is  your  deduction  from  all  this?"  in- 
quired Delcasse. 


98  THE  DESTROYER 

"  My  deduction  is  that  those  signals  did  not  and 
could  not  cause  the  explosion." 

"Then  what  was  their  purpose?  How  do  you 
explain  them?  " 

Marbeau  made  a  gesture  of  helplessness. 

*'  I  do  not  know  what  their  purpose  was;  I  cannot 
explain  them,"  he  said;  "but  I  am  confident  that 
they  could  not  have  destroyed  La  Liberie.** 

"  I  agree  with  General  Marbeau,"  said  Crochard 
suddenly. 

They  all  stared  at  him,  astonished  that  he  should 
admit  himself  defeated. 

*'  But  I  would  add  one  word  to  his  deduction,"  he 
added.     "  The  word  '  alone.'  " 

"  *  Alone  '  ?  "  echoed  Delcasse. 

*'  I  would  make  the  statement  thus :  *  Those  sig- 
nals alone  did  not  and  could  not  cause  the  explo- 
sion.' " 

Delcasse  looked  at  him  with  puzzled  eyes, 
and  again  ran  his  fingers  impatiently  through  his 
hair. 

"  I  do  not  understand,"  he  said.  "  You  are  get- 
ting beyond  me.     What  is  your  theory,  then?  " 

The  line  in  Crochard's  brow  deepened. 

"  It  is  a  thing,  sir,"  he  answered  slowly,  "  which 
I  find  difficult  to  express  in  words.  There  is,  at  the 
back  of  my  mind,  an  idea,  vague,  misty,  of  which  as 
yet  I  catch  only  the  dim  outlines.     My  process  of 


THE  HUT  IN  THE  GROVE  99 

reasoning  Is  this:  It  is  certain,  as  General  Marbeau 
says,  that  the  signals  from  the  hut  were.  In  them- 
selves, harmless,  or  there  would  have  been  other  ex- 
plosions than  that  on  board  La  Liberie,  Wireless 
waves  can  be  directed  and  concentrated  only  to  a 
very  limited  extent.  They  can  be  made  a  little 
stronger  in  one  general  direction  than  in  others,  that 
Is  all.  And,  in  this  case,  that  general  direction 
would  have  embraced  all  the  ships  at  anchor  in  the 
harbour. 

"  There  must,  then,  have  been  some  other  force 
which,  at  the  appointed  time,  struck  from  this  stream 
of  signals  a  spark,  so  to  speak.  Into  the  magazines 
of  La  Liberie,  one  after  the  other.  That  there  was 
an  appointed  time  we  cannot  doubt  —  we  know  that 
it  was  the  moment  of  sunrise  yesterday.  That  the 
magazines  were  fired  one  at  a  time,  and  at  spaced 
intervals  we  also  know.  That  they  could  not  ex- 
plode of  themselves  in  that  way  seems  certain. 

**  You  will  remember  that  the  signals  began  more 
than  an  hour  before  sunrise,  and  continued  for  at 
least  half  an  hour  afterwards.  We  know  that  the 
signals  were  sent  automatically.  Why?  Partly,  no 
doubt,  because  It  was  necessary  that  they  be  abso- 
lutely regular;  but  also  because  the  man  who  did  this 
thing  —  who  is  himself,  perhaps,  the  inventor  of  the 
method  —  chose  to  make  no  confidants,  to  have  no 
accomplices,  and  he  could  not  himself  be  In  the  hut 


loo  THE  DESTROYER 

to  send  the  signals.  Again  you  ask  why.  Not  be- 
cause of  danger  of  discovery,  since  there  was  no  such 
danger.  I  believe  it  was  because  it  was  necessary 
that  he  be  somewhere  else,  directing  from  an  angle, 
perhaps,  that  other  force,  so  mysterious  and  so 
deadly.  I  seem  to  see  two  forces,  travelling  in  con- 
verging lines,  as  two  bullets  might  travel,  their  point 
of  meeting  the  magazines  of  La  Liberie,  At  the 
instant  of  their  meeting,  there  is  a  shock,  a  spark  — 
as  though  flint  and  steel  met  —  and  the  magazine 
explodes  —  first  the  forward  magazine,  then  the 
after  magazine,  then  the  main  magazine  —  one, 
two,  three !  This  is  all  mere  guesswork,  you  under- 
stand, sir,"  Crochard  added,  in  another  tone,  "  but 
so  I  see  it.  And,  after  all,  it  is  susceptible  of 
proof." 

"  What  proof?  "  demanded  Delcasse. 

'*  If  my  theory  is  the  true  one,"  Crochard  ex- 
plained, "  there  must  have  been,  somewhere,  another 
installation  to  create  the  intercepting  force,  which,  of 
course,  must  also  be  transmitted  by  ether  waves,  as 
wireless  is,  if  it  is  to  penetrate  wood  and  steel.  It 
must  have  been  within  an  hour's  walk  —  probably 
half  an  hour's  walk  —  of  the  hut  in  the  grove.  For 
remember,  the  mechanism  there  was  set  going  an 
hour  before  sunrise,  and  the  man  had  then  to  reach 
his  other  mechanism,  and  have  it  ready  to  start  at 
sunrise.     It  is  for  us  to  discover  the  place  where  this 


THE  HUT  IN  THE  GROVE  loi 

second  mechanism  was  Installed  —  ^nd  where  It  prob- 
ably still  remains.'* 

"  Yes,  that  would  be  proof/'  agreed  Delcasse 
thoughtfully;  "  and  for  myself,  I  will  say  that  I  be- 
lieve your  theory  the  right  one.  But  you  have  not 
yet  explained  the  part  played  by  the  two  watchers 
on  the  quay.'' 

"  Their  part  was  that  of  watchers  merely,"  said 
Crochard.  "  They  were  sent  there  to  observe  and 
to  report  to  their  master  —  as  they  did.*' 

"As  they  did?'' 

"  Surely  It  Is  evident,"  Crochard  explained,  "  that, 
If  our  theory  is  true,  they  would  hasten  to  report. 
Imagine  their  master's  anxiety  until  he  heard  from 
them  I  As  a  matter  of  fact,  their  report  was  filed 
within  fifteen  minutes  after  the  explosion.  M.  Le- 
plne  has  it  in  his  pocket." 

Delcasse  stared,  uncomprehending ;  but  Lepine,  his 
face  suddenly  Illumined,  snatched  out  his  pocket-book 
and  produced  the  sheets  of  yellow  tissue. 

"  Ah,  yes,  certainly  I  "  he  cried.  *'  I  was  blind  not 
to  see  it!  The  report  was  In  a  form  agreed  upon: 
*  We  continue  our  trip  as  planned.  All  well.'  You 
will  understand  now,  sir,"  he  added,  to  Delcasse, 
*'  the  reason  for  the  high  opinion  I  entertain  of  this 
gentleman !  " 

"  But  that  message  was  sent  to  Brussels,"  objected 
the  Minister. 


iol  THE  DESTROYER 

"  It  was  sent  *  restante.'  A  man  was  waiting  at 
the  post-office  to  receive  it  and  forward  it  instantly 
to  Berlin.'' 

Delcasse's  face  was  a  study,  as  he  turned  this  over 
in  his  mind. 

"What  is  your  reading  of  the  other  message?" 
he  asked,  at  last. 

"  My  reading,"  answered  Crochard,  slowly,  "  is 
that,  at  the  last  moment,  the  Emperor,  appalled  at 
the  possible  consequences,  decided  to  forbid  the 
atrocity,  to  which  he  had,  perhaps,  been  persuaded 
against  his  better  judgment,  or  In  a  mpment  of  pas- 
sion." 

*'  And  if  the  message  had  not  been  delayed.  La 
Liberie  would  have  been  saved  ?  " 

"  Precisely  that,  sir." 

Delcasse's  lips  were  twitching. 

**  You  may  be  right,"  he  said,  thickly;  "you  may 
be  right;  but  it  seems  incredible.  After  all,  it  is 
merely  guesswork !  " 

"  You  will  pardon  me,  sir,  but  it  is  not  guesswork," 
protested  Crochard.  "  M.  Lepine  will  tell  you  that. 
In  a  case  of  this  kind,  it  must  be  all  or  nothing. 
Every  detail,  even  to  the  slightest,  the  most  insignifi- 
cant, must  fit  perfectly,  or  they  are  all  worthless.  If 
I  am  wrong  in  this  detail,  I  am  wrong  in  all  the 
others;  if  I  am  right  in  the  others,  I  am  also  right  in 


THE  HUT  IN  THE  GROVE         103 

this.  They  stand  or  fall  together.  And  I  believe 
they  will  stand !  " 

The  great  Minister  was  gazing  fascinated  at  the 
speaker;  for  the  first  time,  he  caught  a  real  glimpse 
of  his  tremendous  personality. 

"  You  mean,  then,''  he  said,  finally,  "  that  if  any 
details  we  may  discover  hereafter  fail  to  fit  this  the- 
ory, the  theory  must  be  discarded?  " 

"  Discarded  utterly  and  without  hesitation,"  agreed 
Crochard.     "  More  than  that  — " 

A  tap  at  the  door  interrupted  him. 

"  Come  in,'*  sa.id  Delcasse. 

His  secretary  entered,  followed  by  a  courier,  carry- 
ing a  portfolio. 

"  From  Paris,  sir,"  said  the  secretary,  and  the 
courier,  with  a  bow,  laid  the  portfolio  on  the  Min- 
ister's desk. 

Delcasse  took  from  his  pocket  a  tiny  key,  unlocked 
the  portfolio,  drew  out  a  package  and  glanced  at  the 
superscription. 

"Ah,"  he  said;  *' the  photographs  I  "  and  ripped 
the  package  open. 

There  were  some  two  dozen  of  them,  together 
with  a  long  type-written  report,  which  Delcasse 
glanced  through  rapidly. 

"  These  are  the  result  of  the  first  report  from  Ber- 
lin,'* he  said,  **  of  officers  who  are  absent  from  their 


I04  THE  DESTROYER 

commands  and  whose  present  whereabouts  is  not 
definitely  known.  A  supplementary  report  will  fol- 
low/^ 

"  We  can  begin  with  these,''  said  Leplne,  and 
looked  them  over. 

Crochard  had  risen  and  was  looking  at  the  photo- 
graphs over  the  detective's  shoulder. 

**We  shall  have  to  shave  them  first,"  he  re- 
marked. 

"Shave  them?" 

"  Divest  them  of  those  ornaments,"  and  he  indi- 
cated the  upturned  moustaches,  a  la  Kaiser,  with 
which  nearly  all  the  pictured  faces  were  adorned. 
"  A  brush  and  a  tablet  of  watercotour  will  do  it." 

M.  Delcasse  arose. 

"  I  will  leave  that  in  your  hands,  gentlemen,"  he 
said.  "  I  must  meet  the  Board  of  Inquiry  almost  at 
once.  General  Marbeau,  I  thank  you  for  your  as- 
sistance. You  will,  of  course,  say  nothing  of  all  this 
to  any  one.  As  for  you,  sir,"  he  added  to  Crochard, 
"  I  shall  thank  you  better  another  day.  Till  this 
evening,  M.  Leplne,"  and  he  bowed  the  three  men 
out. 

Half  an  hour  later,  Lepine  and  Crochard  were 
closeted  with  Monsieur  and  Madame  Brisson  in  the 
former's  bureau  at  the  du  Nord.  The  little  Inn- 
keeper and  his  wife  were  Inarticulate  with  excite- 
ment, for  they  had  guessed  Leplne's  Identity  from 


THE  HUT  IN  THE  GROVE  105 

his  resemblance  to  the  pictures  which  every  illus- 
trated paper  published  at  frequent  intervals,  and  they 
suspected,  from  his  bearing,  that  Crochard  was  a 
person  of  even  greater  importance.  Their  faces 
were  glowing  with  pride,  too,  for  their  proffered  re- 
freshment had  not  been  declined.  In  after  days, 
when  the  sentence  of  silence  had  been  lifted,  they 
would  tell  the  story  to  their  admiring  friends : 

"  Imagine  It.  Here  we  sat,  I  here,  Gabrlelle 
there;  In  that  chair  M.  Leplne,  Prefect  of  the  Paris 
Service  du  Surete,  a  little  thin  man  with  eyes  oh,  so 
bright;  and  In  the  fourth  chair,  with  eyes  still 
brighter  and  an  air  distinguished  which  there  could  be 
no  mistaking  —  whom  do  you  think?     None  other 

than  the  Due  de  B ";  or  the  Prince  de  R , 

or  the  Marquis  de  C ;  that  was  a  detail  to  be 

filled  In  later;  but  a  Great  Highness,  rest  assured  of 
thatl  And  the  way  that  both  M.  Leplne  and  the 
unknown  Highness  relished  their  Chateau  Yquem  was 
a  great  compliment  to  the  house. 

After  these  amenities,  Leplne  produced  the  dc- 
moustached  photographs. 

"  Look  wel]  at  these,"  he  said;  '*  have  care  —  do 
not  speak  unless  you  are  very  sure,"  and  he  passed 
the  photographs  one  by  one  to  Madame  Gabrlelle, 
who  handed  them  on  to  her  husband.  Some  ten  or 
twelve  were  examined  without  comment,  and  then 
Madame  uttered  a  sudden  exclamation. 


io6  THE  DESTROYER 

**  It  is  he  I  "  she  cried.     "  It  is  one  of  them  I '' 

"  One  of  whom?  "  asked  Lepine. 

"  One  of  those  men.     Behold,  Aristide !  '* 

Brisson  took  the  card  and  looked  at  it. 

**  Sacred  heart !     But  you  are  right,  Gabrielle !  ** 

"  You  are  sure?  ''  persisted  Lepine. 

"Sure!  But  of  a  certainty!  I  would  swear  to 
him!" 

Lepine  put  the  photograph  in  his  pocket,  and 
turned  to  the  others.  But  there  was  no  second  rec- 
ognition. Brisson  and  his  wife  went  through  them 
twice,  until  they  had  convinced  themselves  that  their 
other  guest  was  not  among  them.  Finally  Lepine 
gathered  the  photographs  together. 

"  I  must  warn  you  again,  Brisson,  and  you, 
Madame,'*  he  said,  severely,  "  that  of  this  not  a 
single  word  must  be  breathed  —  to  no  one.  Let  it 
pass  from  your  minds  as  though  it  had  never  been. 
It  is  an  affair  of  high  diplomacy;  and  you  might  suf- 
fer much  were  it  known  that  you  are  concerned  in  it. 
In  behalf  of  France,  I  thank  you,  and  I  shall  have 
care  that  your  so  great  service  is  brought  to  the  at- 
tention of  the  proper  persons.  But  remember  — 
not  a  word !  " 

Monsieur  and  Madame  were  faithful  —  only  in 
the  seclusion  of  their  bedroom,  with  the  light  extin- 
guished, and  in  bated  whispers,  did  they  ever  discuss 
it.     And,  as  at  this  point  they  pass  from  this  story, 


THE  HUT  IN  THE  GROVE         107 

let  it  be  added  that,  some  months  later,  a  parcel  was 
delivered  at  their  door,  which,  when  opened,  was 
found  to  contain  a  handsome  vase  of  Sevres.  Inside 
the  vase  was  a  card,  "  To  Monsieur  and  Madame 
Aristide  Brisson,  from  Theophile  Delcasse,  as  a 
slight  recognition  of  their  services  to  France/' 

It  would  be  impossible  to  say  which  this  worthy 
couple  value  most  highly,  the  vase  or  the  card.  Cer- 
tain it  is  that,  if  you  are  ever  a  guest  at  the  du  Nord, 
you  will  be  shown  both  of  them,  the  vase  in  a  velvet- 
lined  case  against  the  wall  and  the  card,  neatly 
framed,  just  below  it.  And,  in  consideration  of 
their  increased  importance.  Monsieur  and  Madame 
have  considered  themselves  justified  in  increasing 
their  tariff  ten  per  cent. 

As  soon  as  Lepine  and  Crochard  were  alone  to- 
gether, the  former  took  the  photograpJi  from  his 
pocket,  looked  at  the  number  on  the  back,  and  then 
consulted  a  typewritten  list  of  names.  Then,  with 
a  hand  not  wholly  steady,  he  handed  the  list  to  his 
companion. 

**  Number  eighteen,"  he  said. 

Opposite  that  number  Crochard  read,  "  Admiral 
H.  Pachmann,  Chief  of  the  Wireless  Service;"  and 
then  he  gazed  at  the  photograph  long  and  earnestly, 
as  though  impressing  it  indelibly  upon  his  mind. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE    SECOND   INSTALLATION 

The  Board  of  Inquiry  began  its  sessions  that  after- 
noon, at  the  Prefecture  of  Marine.  It  was  com- 
posed of  the  most  distinguished  officers  of  France, 
who  had  donned  for  the  occasion  their  most  brilliant 
uniforms.  There  was  much  paraphernalia  —  secre- 
taries, portfolios,  red-taped  papers,  reports  —  all 
that  display  so  dear  to  the  French  temperament; 
and  every  one  wore  an  air  of  importance  and  solem- 
nity befitting  time  and  place. 

M.  Delcasse  opened  the  session  with  a  ringing 
speech,  forming  a  notable  contrast  to  the  platitudes 
uttered  by  the  President  in  the  morning.  In  fact, 
it  was  so  bold  In  its  allusions  to  an  approaching 
struggle  with  "  the  implacable  enemy  of  the  Repub- 
lic," that  the  members  of  the  Board  glanced  cov- 
ertly at  each  other  in  astonishment.  Their  aston- 
ishment was  the  greater  because,  as  they  well  knew, 
M.  Delcasse  was  not  given  to  indiscretions.  At 
least,  his  indiscretions  were  always  nicely-calculated 
ones.  He  knew  when  to  speak  and  when  to  hold 
his  tongue  —  none  better;  and  the  fact  that  he 
thought  it  necessary  to  speak  now  proved  that  the 

io8 


THE  SECOND  INSTALLATION       109 

affair  was  serious  indeed.  At  the  end  of  the  speech, 
the  Board  proceeded  in  a  body  to  an  inspection  of 
the  wreck. 

Lepine,  meanwhile,  armed  with  the  description 
Crochard  had  given  him,  set  his  men  to  work  to 
discover  the  dwelling-place  of  the  white-haired 
stranger  who  had  been  seen  passing  back  and  forth 
along  the  road  outside  the  city  gate.  But,  to  his 
chagrin,  evening  came  and  his  men  had  discovered 
nothing.  It  is  true  that  the  investigation  was  ren- 
dered more  than  usually  difficult  by  the  fact  that  the 
town  was  still  in  an  uproar,  and  no  one  wished  to 
speak  of  anything  but  the  disaster.  For  the  mO' 
ment,  the  memories  of  the  people  went  no  farther 
back  than  dawn  of  the  previous  day.  In  a  day  or 
two,  when  the  first  excitement  had  passed,  there 
would  be  a  much  better  chance  of  success. 

So,  at  least,  reasoned  Inspector  Pigot,  whose 
watchword  was  always  Patience  I  But  the  reason- 
ing did  not  satisfy  Lepine.  Patience  was  not  always 
a  virtue.  In  this  affair,  it  was  impossible  to  wait  a 
day  or  two.  With  every  hour,  no  doubt,  the  man 
they  sought  was  putting  fresh  leagues  between  him- 
self and  his  pursuers.  Crochard,  so  Lepine  told 
himself  miserably,  Crochard  would  not  wait  a  day 
or  two.      Perhaps,  already  .  .   . 

He  put  on  his  hat  and  sought  the  Cafe  des  Voy- 
ageurs.     Choosing  the  seat  which  he  had  occupied 


no  THE  DESTROYER 

that  morning,  he  ordered  a  liqueur  and  sat  for  an 
hour  contemplating  the  crowd.  Again  he  perceived 
that  the  proprietor  was  absent;  but  this  time  the 
head-waiter  did  not  approach,  or  even  meet  his 
glance.  He  thought,  for  a  moment,  of  calling  him 
and  asking  for  Crochard;  but  he  finally  decided  that 
that  would  be  t09  great  an  indiscretion.  Besides, 
as  Crochard  had  pointed  out,  in  this  affair  it  was 
Lepine  who  followed.  It  was  for  him  to  receive 
instructions,  not  to  give  them.  At  last,  with  a  feel- 
ing of  depression  and  dependency  quite  new  to  him, 
the  great  detective  left  the  cafe,  returned  to  his  hotel 
and  went  to  bed. 

But  early  next  morning,  things  began  to  move 
again.  He  had  scarcely  finished  his  breakfast, 
when  a  summons  came  from  M.  Delcasse  to  attend 
him  at  once,  and  when  Lepine  entered  his  office,  he 
saw  that  something  of  importance  had  occurred. 
Delcasse  already  had  a  visitor  —  a  tall,  thin  man, 
dressed  severely  in  black,  with  the  word  "  banker  *' 
written  all  over  him.  Lepine  was  therefore  not 
surprised  when  the  visitor  was  introduced  to  him  as 
the  manager  of  the  Toulon  branch  of  the  Bank  of 
France. 

"  We  have  something  of  interest  here,**  said 
Delcasse,  and  tossed  over  to  Lepine  two  notes  for 
a  hundred  francs  each. 

Tne  latter's  eyes  were  shining  as  he  picked  them 


THE  SECOND  INSTALLATION      iii 

up,  glanced  at  their  numbers,  and  then  compared 
them  with  a  third  note  which  he  took  from  his 
pocket-book. 

"  They  are  of  the  same  series,"  he  said.  "  Where 
did  you  get  them,  sir?  "  and  he  turned  to  the  bank 
manager. 

'*  They  were  deposited  with  us  by  the  cashier  of 
the  central  railway  station." 

"When?" 

"  On  the  afternoon  of  Monday,  the  twenty- 
fifth." 

"  How  did  you  discover  them?  " 

"  We  received  instructions  yesterday  from  Paris 
to  report  immediately  the  receipt  of  any  notes  of 
this  series.  Our  cashier,  while  checking  up  our  de- 
posits yesterday  evening,  happened  upon  these 
notes,  and  identified  them  as  a  part  of  the  railway 
deposit  of  the  day  before.  The  matter  was  re- 
ported to  me,  and  I  at  once  forwarded  the  report  to 
Paris.  This  morning  I  received  a  telegram  in- 
structing me  to  report  in  person  to  M.  Delcasse, 
and  I  hastened  to  do  so." 

"  You  have  done  well,  sir,"  said  the  Minister, 
"  and  I  thank  you.  We  will  ask  you  to  exchange 
these  notes  for  two  others,  and  furthermore  to  say 
nothing  to  any  one  of  this  discovery  or  of  having 
seen  me." 

The  exchange  was  made,  the  banker  departed. 


112  THE  DESTROYER 

and  Leplne,  with  the  notes  in  his  pocket-book,  has- 
tened away  to  the  Gare  Centrale.  Arrived  there,  he 
asked  for  the  chief,  introduced  himself,  and  stated 
his  business. 

"  I  have  here  two  notes,**  he  said,  "  which  were 
deposited  by  your  cashier  last  Monday  afternoon. 
It  is  most  important  that  I  find  out  from  whom  this 
money  was  received,  and  to  what  point  tickets  were 
purchased.  The  purchase  was  made,  no  doubt, 
some  time  during  Monday." 

"  The  money  might  have  been  received  Sunday," 
the  chef-du-gare  pointed  out.  "  Since  the  bank  is 
closed  Sunday,  we  can  make  no  deposit  on  that  day." 

**  I  have  reason  to  believe  it  was  not  received  until 
Monday,"  said  Lepine.  **  May  I  interrogate  the 
cashiers,  beginning  with  the  one  who  was  on  duty 
at  daybreak  Monday?" 

"  There  are  two  men  on  duty  at  all  hours,"  ex- 
plained the  chief;  "  and  each  trick  Is  eight  hours  in 
length.  The  first  begins  at  six  o'clock  in  the  .morn- 
ing.    At  what  hour  was  daybreak  on  Monday?" 

"  At  five  o'clock  and  forty-nine  minutes." 

**  The  clerks  who  were  in  the  bureau  at  that  hour 
are  not  here  now,  but  I  can  have  them  called." 

**  Let  us  interrogate  the  ones  who  are  here,"  sug- 
gested Lepine.  "  Perhaps  it  will  not  be  necessary 
to  disturb  the  others." 

The  chief  pressed  a  button  and  summoned  the 


THE  SFXOND  INSTALLATION       113 

ticket-sellers,  one  after  the  other.  The  first  had  no 
recollection  of  having  received  the  notes,  but  with 
his  companion  Lepine  was  more  successful. 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  remember  them  perfectly,"  he  said, 
when  they  were  shown  to  him.  **  My  attention  was 
called  to  them  because  they  were  both  quite  new. 
I  looked  at  them  closely  to  make  certain  that  they 
were  genuine,  and  noticed  that  they  were  numbered 
consecutively.  Another  detail  which  caused  them  to 
remain  in  my  memory  was  the  striking  appearance 
of  the  person  who  gave  them  to  me." 

Leplne's  heart  was  throbbing  with  triumph. 

"  Describe  this  man,"  he  said. 

"  Ah,  sir,"  said  the  clerk,  "  that  is  just  it.  It 
was  not  a  man,  but  a  girl  —  a  girl  of  eighteen  or 
twenty.  That  is  what  drew  my  attention.  It  is  not 
usual  to  have  a  girl  like  that  ask  for  two  tickets, 
second-class,  to  Paris." 

"  A  girl !  "  stammered  Lepine.     **  You  are  sure?  " 

**  Perfectly  sure,  sir." 

"  Well,  describe  her,  then." 

The  clerk  half-closed  his  eyes  in  order  the  better 
to  vizualise  his  memory. 

"  She  was,  as  I  have  said,  of  about  nineteen,  and 
she  was  not  a  Frenchwoman." 

"  How  do  you  know  that?  " 

"  Because,  in  the  first  place,  she  spoke  French  not 
very  well;  and,  in  the  second  place,  there  was  in  her 


114  THE  DESTROYER 

manner  an  assurance,  a  freedom  from  embarrass- 
ment, which  a  French  girl  of  her  station  would  not 
possess." 

"Was  she  light  or  dark?" 

"  She  was  dark,  sir,  with  bright  black  eyes,  with 
which  she  looked  at  one  very  steadily.  She  was 
slightly  built,  of  medium  height,  simply  dressed,  so 
far  as  I  could  see  through  the  little  window,  not 
fashionably,  l^ut  with  good  effect.  However,  what 
impressed  me  most  was  her  calm  assurance  —  almost 
American;  but  she  was  too  dark  to  be  of  America." 

Reading  between  the  lines,  Lepine  suspected  that 
the  clerk  had  attempted  to  start  a  flirtation  with  the 
self-possessed  unknown,  and  had  been  rebuffed. 
And  yet,  what  he  said  was  true  —  young  girls  in 
France  were  not,  ordinarily,  entrusted  with  the  buy- 
ing of  railway  tickets,  especially  for  so  considerable 
a  journey. 

"  You  are  sure  the  tickets  were  to  Paris?  " 

"Yes,  sir;  second-class.  I  remember  distinctly 
giving  her  sixty-four  francs  in  change." 

"  At  what  hour  was  this?  " 

"  About  eight  o'clock,  sir." 

"  Of  Monday  morning?  " 

"  Yes,  sir;  of  Monday  morning." 

"  At  what  hour  was  the  next  train  for  Paris?  " 

"  At  eight-fifteen,  sir,  the  express  departs." 

"The  girl  had  no  companion?" 


THE  SECOND  INSTALLATION       iij 

**  I  saw  none,  sir." 

"  She  certainly  had  a  companion,  or  she  would  not 
have  bought  two  tickets." 

*'  Perhaps  the  inspector  at  the  gate  can  tell  us 
something,"  the  chief  suggested,  and  the  clerk  was 
dismissed  and  the  inspector  summoned.  But  he 
could  give  them  no  information.  There  had  been 
many  passengers  for  the  express,  and,  besides,  every 
one,  himself  included,  was  so  distressed  and  over- 
wrought by  the  catastrophe  of  the  morning  that 
there  had  not  been  the  usual  attention  to  detail. 
The  inquiry  was  extended  to  the  baggage-porters, 
but  with  no  better  success.  They,  too,  had  been  up- 
set by  the  disaster  and  had  thought  of  nothing  else. 
Some  of  them  had  frankly  deserted  their  posts  in 
order  to  hasten  to  the  harbour-front.  None  of  those 
who  remained  had  noticed  a  white-haired  man  and 
a  dark-haired  girl. 

'*  Come!  "  said  Lepine  savagely  to  himself,  as  he 
left  the  station.  "This  is  not  getting  ahead  —  we 
must  try  the  cabs.     But  first  .  .  ." 

He  turned  toward  the  Prefecture  and  quickened 
his  step,  for  suddenly  he  scented  a  new  danger. 
This  white-haired  man,  then,  was  in  the  pay  of  Ger- 
many. He  had  destroyed  La  Liberie  for  a  price  — 
an  immense  price,  no  doubt!  And  now  he  had  gone 
to  Paris.  From  there,  where  would  he  go?  To 
Brest,    perhaps,    to    work    similar    mischief    there. 


ii6  THE  DESTROYER 

Lepine  shivered  a  little.  The  best  men  he  had  left 
at  Paris  must  be  sent  to  Brest  with  instructions  to 
arrest  the  fugitives  at  sight.  Two  people,  so  un- 
usual in  appearance,  would  find  it  difficult  to  avoid 
the  police  in  so  small  a  town.  But  in  Paris  —  that 
was  different.  Yet  even  there  something  might  be 
done.  And  then  there  was  always  chance,  divine 
chance,  which  might,  at  any  moment,  deliver  them 
into  his  hands.  Ah,  if  only  he  were  strolling  along 
ihe  Boulevards,  looking  into  this  face  and  that! 

**  Decidedly,  I  must  be  getting  back!  "  Lepine 
murmured;  and,  having  arrived  at  the  Prefecture, 
he  sent  a  long  telegram  to  his  assistant  at  Paris  and 
another  to  the  Prefect  at  Brest.  Then  he  sum- 
moned Pigot.  "  You  will  interrogate  the  cabmen 
at  the  Gare  Centrale,"  he  said,  "  as  to  which  of 
them  drove  a  white-haired  man  and  a  dark-haired 
girl  to  the  station  for  the  Paris  express,  Monday 
morning.  And,  understand  well,  Pigot,  there  must 
be  no  failure  this  time !  "  Then,  as  the  door  closed 
behind  Pigot's  retiring  figure,  he  slapped  himself 
smartly  on  the  forehead.  **  I  am  a  fool !  "  he  cried, 
and  hurried  from  the  building  and  called  a  cab. 

There  are  many  dealers  in  electrical  supplies  at 
Toulon,  and  it  was  not  until  he  reached  the  fourth 
one  that  Lepine  found  a  ray  of  light.  No ;  its  pro- 
prietor had  no  recollection  of  any  sales  to  strangers. 
A  little  white-haired  man?     No.     But  stay  —  there 


THE  SECOND  INSTALLATION       117 

had  been  a  white-haired  man!  No,  he  had  bought 
nothing.  He  had  had  a  battery  recharged  —  a 
heavy  battery  of  an  unusual  type.  Yes,  it  had  been 
delivered.  One  moment,  and  the  man  slowly  turned 
the  pages  of  his  ledger,  while  Lepine  bit  his  lips  with 
impatience.  Here  it  was  —  the  address  —  80  Rue 
du  Plasson,  fourth  floor. 

In  another  moment,  Lepine's  cab  was  rattling 
over  the  cobbles  in  the  direction  of  the  quays. 

"  Faster!     Faster!  "  he  urged. 

And  then  they  were  in  the  Rue  du  Plasson. 

"  Behold  Number  Eighty,  sir,"  said  the  cabman, 
and  pulled  up  sharply. 

Tliere  was  already  a  cab  at  the  curb,  and  as 
Lepine  jumped  out,  the  door  of  the  house  opened 
and  Pigot  appeared  on  the  threshold.  He  stared  at 
his  chief  in  astonishment. 

"  I  was  just  coming  to  report  to  you,  sir,"  he 
said.     **  The  birds  have  flown." 

"  Indeed!  "  sneered  Lepine.  "  So  you  have  dis- 
covered that,  have  you?  But  the  installation  is  here, 
I  suppose?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  Pigot,  very  red.  "  On  the 
fourth  floor." 

Lepine  bounded  up  the  stairs,  and  Pigot  followed 
in  silence.  He  felt  that  he  had  been  used  unjustly; 
after  all,  he  was  not  a  wizard  —  what  did  the  Chief 
expect  I 


ii8  THE  DESTROYER 

At  the  top  of  the  house,  Lepine  glanced  first  into 
the  narrow  room  which  we  have  already  seen;  then 
he  returned  to  the  landing  and  opened  the  other 
door.  It  led  Into  a  still  narrower  room,  also  ex- 
tending to  the  front  of  the  house,  and  lighted  by  a 
single  window.  Lepine  went  to  the  window  and 
looked  out.  Over  the  roof  of  the  low  market  across 
the  way,  he  could  see  the  harbour,  the  warships,  and 
the  wreck  of  La  Liberie,  Then  he  turr\ed  to  an  ex- 
amination of  the  room. 

A  heavy  box  stood  before  the  window,  and  on  the 
floor  beside  it  were  three  large  batteries.  Some 
pieces  of  copper  wire  were  lying  about,  but  there  was 
nothing  else.  In  the  top  of  the  box,  however,  four 
holes  had  been  bored,  as  though  for  the  reception 
of  bolts,  and  one  side  of  the  box  was  badly  burned. 
The  sill  of  the  window  was  also  scorched  and 
blistered. 

"  You  have  the  proprietor  of  this  house?  "  Lepine 
inquired. 

"  He  is  below,"  PIgot  announced,  and  went  to 
fetch  him. 

But  from  the  proprietor,  a  nervous  little  man 
with  a  dirty  beard,  Lepine  learned  little.  He  lived 
at  the  rear  of  the  ground  floor,  and  ten  days  or 
perhaps  two  weeks  before,  a  man  had  knocked  at 
the  door  and  asked  if  the  upper  floor  was  to  rent. 

"What  sort  of  man?*'  Lepine  inquired. 


THE  SECOND  INSTALLATION       119 

"A  dark  man,  with  white  hair,  sir;  not  a  bad- 
looking  man,  but  not  a  Frenchman." 

"  A  German,  perhaps." 

"No,  most  certainly  not  a  German;  an  Italian 
or  a  Spaniard." 

"  What  was  his  business?  " 

"  He  said  he  was  an  inventor  and  desired  the 
top  floor  for  his  experiments.  I  told  him  that  in 
that  case  I  should  have  to  charge  extra,  as  experi- 
ments were  always  dangerous.  He  did  not  object, 
and  paid  a  month  in  advance.  He  seemed  a  very 
h'armless  person." 

"Was  he  alone?" 

"  At  that  time,  yes,  sir.  But  when  he  returned 
with  his  baggage,  his  daughter  accompanied  him." 

"  How  do  you  know  it  was  his  daughter?  " 

"  He  told  me  so,  sir.  The  resemblance  was  very 
evident.  Besides,  he  insisted  that  I  supply  mate- 
rial to  curtain  off  a  portion  of  the  room  for  her 
bed." 

Lepine  recognised  the  cogency  of  this  reasoning 
and  nodded. 

"  Continue,"  he  said. 

"  She  was  a  dark,  slim  girl,  of  about  twenty. 
They  gave  me  no  trouble.  She  scarcely  left  the 
house  except  for  the  marketing.  But  her  father 
was  away  a  great  deal." 

"Did  he  bring  much  baggage?" 


I20  THE  DESTROYER 

"  Two  pieces  of  hand-baggage,  sir,  and  that  box 
yonder  by  the  window.     The  box  was  very  heavy 

—  almost  as  if  filled  with  iron  —  and  we  had  great 
difficulty  in  getting  it  up  the  stairs,  even  with  the 
assistance  of  the  truck-man." 

"  Did  you  enter  this  room  while  he  was 
here?" 

"No,  sir;  I  entered  neither  of  the  rooms.  My 
rule  is  never  to  interfere  in  the  affairs  of  my  tenants 

—  they  do  not  like  it.  But  on  one  occasion,  as  I 
passed  the  door,  I  heard  him  at  work  on  his  inven- 
tion." 

"  Heard  him,  you  say?  " 

"  Yes,  sir;  there  was  a  deep  humming  noise  as  of 
a  huge  top,  or  perhaps  of  a  motor.  It  occurred  to 
me  that  it  was  a  flying-machine  which  he  was  invent- 
ing.    Then,  on  Sunday,  came  a  telegram." 

"A  telegram?" 

"Yes,  sir;  I  brought  it  up  myself.  He  read  it 
and  his  face  grew  very  grave.  He  informed  me 
that  he  would  be  compelled  to  depart  next  day  — 
that  his  sister  was  dying.  But  he  assured  me  that 
he  would  return  as  soon  as  possible  to  continue  his 
experiments,  and  that  I  was  to  hold  the  apartment 
for  him  —  at  least  until  the  month  for  which  he  had 
paid  had  expired." 

"And  he  did  depart?" 

"  Yes,  sir;  quite  early  in  the  morning.     I  called  a 


THE  SECOND  INSTALLATION       121 

cab  and  assisted  to  carry  down  his  baggage.  The 
box,  as  you  see,  remains  against  his  return,  also  his 
apparatus,''  and  he  indicated  the  batteries. 

"  Oh,  certainly,"  agreed  Lepine,  with  irony, 
"  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  his  intention  to  return." 
And  then  his  face  grew  dark  and  his  eyes  flashed. 
"  How  does  it  happen,"  he  demanded  sternly,  *'  that 
you  4id  not  cause  him  to  fill  out  a  registration  blank 
for  the  police?  " 

The  little  man  twisted  his  hands  nervously. 

"  In  that  I  admit  I  was  most  culpable,  sir,"  he 
said.  "  But  when  I  looked  in  my  desk  for  a  blank, 
I  found  that  I  had  none.  Every  day  I  intended 
going  to  the  Prefecture  to  get  a  new  supply,  but 
every  day  something  occurred  to  prevent  me.  And 
then  came  the  day  of  his  departure." 

Lepine's  face  was  very  stern. 

**  You  have,  indeed,'  been  culpable,"  he  said, 
**  and  I  shall  see  that  you  are  punished.  You  have 
broken  one  of  the  laws  of  your  country.  You  have 
aided  a  malefactor  I  " 

The  little  man's  face  was  livid. 

"  Oh,  do  not  say  so,  sir!  "  he  protested.  **  There 
must  be  some  mistake!  That  kind  gentleman,  ab- 
sorbed only  in  his  invention  — " 

"  I  do  say  so,"  broke  in  Lepine,  savagely.  *'  Did 
he  receive  any  letters?  " 

"  One,  sir,  on  the  Saturday  before  the  arrival  of 


122  THE  DESTROYER 

the  telegram.  No  doubt  it,  too,  spoke  of  the  illness 
of  his  sister." 

Lepine  put  his  hand  wearily  to  his  head. 

"  At  least  you  noticed  the  address  on  the  letter?  " 
he  asked. 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir.  It  was  '  Monsieur  B.  Seguin,  80 
Rue  du  Plasson,  Toulon.'  Seguin,  that  was  the 
name  of  my  lodger." 

"  But  you  said  he  was  not  a  Frenchman!  " 

"  Perhaps  he  was  a  Belgian,  sir.  I  have  heard 
that  they  are  sometimes  dark." 

Lepine  threw  up  his  hands. 

"  Head  of  a  pig!  "  he  cried,  and  then  controlled 
himself.  "  M.  Pigot,"  he  said,  "  you  will  take  this 
idiot  to  his  rooms  and  remain  in  charge  of  him  until 
you  hear  from  me." 

And  then,  as  Pigot  and  his  prisoner  started  down 
the  stairs,  Lepine  turned  to  an  investigation  of  the 
two  rooms.  Every  nook,  every  crevice,  every  inch 
of  the  floor,  every  drawer  —  all  these  he  examined 
with  a  minuteness  of  which  only  the  French  police 
are  capable,  but  his  search  disclosed  nothing  which 
shed  any  new  light  on  the  mystery.  At  last,  he 
descended  the  stairs  and  left  the  house. 

There  was  still  one  hope,  the  telegram.  He  has- 
tened to  the  post-office,  inquired  for  the  clerk  of  tele- 
graphs, apologised  for  again  disturbing  him,  and 
asked  to  see  the  telegram  received  for  B.  Seguin,  80 


THE  SECOND  INSTALLATION      123 

Rue  du  Plasson,  the  Sunday  be;fore.  At  the  end  of 
five  minutes  it  was  in  his  hands,  and  he  read  it  with 
dismay.  It  had  been  sent  from  Brussels,  and  this 
is  the  English  of  its  contents: 

"  Our  sister  is  very  ill  and  asks  for  you.     Come  if  you 
would  see  her  alive. 

**  Charles  Seguin." 


CHAPTER  IX 

CHECKMATE 

"  It  Is  evident  that  this  affair  was  not  lightly  ar- 
ranged," said  M.  Delcasse,  and  ran  his  fingers  nerv- 
ously through  his  hair. 

Leplne  nodded  gloomily. 

"  You  may  well  say  so !  "  he  agreed. 

The  two  sat  together  In  Delcasse's  room,  and  Le- 
plne had  just  finished  his  report.  Evening  was  fall- 
ing, and  the  room  was  growing  dark,  but  neither 
desired  a  light. 

"  Everything  has  been  thought  of  and  provided 
for,"  said  the  Prefect,  at  last,  "  even  to  the  telegram 
which  gave  an  excuse  for  this  man's  abrupt  departure. 
Perhaps  the  other  telegrams  were  also  Intended  to 
mislead  us  —  just  as  they  did  mislead  me  —  to  con- 
vince us  that  those  other  men  were  only  ordinary 
travellers.  They  must  have  foreseen  that  the  police 
would  Investigate  the  presence  of  every  stranger  in 
Toulon.  It  was  careless  to  send  both  telegrams  from 
Brussels,  but  a  coincidence  so  small  might  easily  be 
overlooked.  On  one  point  only  was  there  an  over- 
sight —  they  did  not  foresee  that  we  might  trace 
them  by  means  of  the  money.     There  Is  our  hope. 

IZ4 


CHECKMATE  125 

Sooner  or  later,  the  man  with  the  white  hair*  will 
spend  another  of  his  hundred-franc  notes.  There  is 
a  certain  justice  in  it,"  he  added,  "  that  he  should  be 
betrayed  by  his  blood-money." 

"  Yes,  blood-money !  "  cried  Delcasse.  "  That  Is 
the  word  for  it!  Oh,  that  I  had  my  hands  on  the 
monster  —  for  he  is  a  monster,  Lepine ;  he  must  be 
a  monster !  There  he  sat,  in  cold  blood,  and  loosed 
the  power  that  killed  three  hundred  men  I  Have 
you  considered,  Lepine,  that  the  finding  of  this  sec- 
ond installation  furnishes,  as  Crochard  foresaw, 
proof  of  his  theory?  " 

**  Yes,"  said  Lepine,  in  a  low  voice;  "  this  Is  the 
proof." 

Delcasse  was  on  his  feet,  striding  savagely  up  and 
down  the  room. 

"  But  it  is  absurd,"  he  cried,  "  it  is  Incredible  that 
here,  under  our  very  noses,  such  things  should  take 
place  I  What  are  our  police  for,  Lepine  —  our  se- 
cret service?  " 

"  It  is  the  fault  of  that  miserable  landlord,"  Le- 
pine pointed  out. 

"  Of  him  an  example  shall  be  made.  But  that 
does  not  help  us.  This  man  must  not  escape  I  Think 
what  it  may  mean  for  France  if  he  escapes  I  " 

"I  have  thought,  sir!"  and  Leplne's  voice  was 
trembling. 

Delcasse  turned  on  him  fiercely. 


126  THE  DESTROYER 

"Where  Is  Crochard?"  he  demanded.  '*  What 
is  he  doing  all  this  time  ?  "  ^ 

"  I  do  not  know,  sir.  I  have  not  seen  him  since 
yesterday.*' 

"  Rest  assured  that  he  has  not  been  idle.  Do  you 
know  where  to  find  him?  '* 

"  I  have  his  address.'* 

"  Go  to  him,  then,  and  say  I  wish  to  see  him.  We 
must  lay  these  discoveries  before  him  —  though  no 
doubt  he  has  already  made  them  for  himself.  Tell 
him  he  must  not  desert  us  —  that  without  him,  we 
are  lost!  " 

Lepine  was  grateful  for  the  darkness,  for  his 
cheeks  were  red  with  humiliation.  But,  after  all, 
M.  Delcasse  was  right.     He  rose  with  a  sigh. 

**  I  will  seek  him  at  once,  sir,"  he  said. 

"  Understand  well,  Lepine,"  said  the  Minister, 
more  gently,  "  It  is  not  you  I  blame.  You  have 
done  all  that  Is  possible  with  the  means  at  your  com- 
mand. But  we  cannot  afford  to  fail.  In  an  affair 
of  this  kind,  the  public  Is  not  reasonable.  Should  we 
fall,  and  should  our  failure  become  known,  as  It  al- 
most surely  would,  the  ministry  might  find  Itself 
swept  away  before  the  storm.  So  we  must  find  Cro- 
chard." 

"  I  agree  with  you,  sir,"  said  Lepine,  and  took  his 
leave. 

The  Cafe  des  Voyageurs  was  crowded  when  he 


CHECKMATE  127 

reached  it,  and  he  had  some  difficulty  In  finding  a 
seat.  The  marines  who  had  been  searching  the 
wreck  had,  at  last,  been  released  from  duty,  and  had, 
with  one  accord,  hastened  ashore  to  refresh  them- 
selves at  the  expense  of  a  populace  eager  to  listen  to 
every  detail.  The  cafe  hummed  with  talk;  weird 
and  revolting  stories  of  the  search  were  told  with 
gusto;  the  completeness  of  the  destruction  was  de- 
scribed; the  survivors  dwelt  upon  their  sensations 
at  the  moment  of  the  explosion;  the  heroism  of  the 
rescuers  was  not  forgotten;  but,  and  Lepine  noted 
this  with  a  little  sigh  of  relief,  nowhere  was  there  an 
Intimation  that  the  disaster  was  other  than  an  ac- 
cident. 

He  sat  there  for  half  an  hour,  listening  to  all  this, 
and  then,  as  Crochard  made  no  sign,  he  summoned 
the  head-waiter  and  requested  a  word  with  the  pro- 
prietor. With  a  nod,  as  of  one  who  expecteci  the 
request,  the  man  turned  and  again  led  the  way  to  the 
door  at  the  rear  of  the  room. 

"  In  there,  sir,"  he  said,  and  closed  it  when  Le- 
pine had  entered. 

A  single  candle  burned  on  the  table  in  the  centre 
of  the  little  room,  and  beyond  It  sat  a  man.  At 
the  first  glance,  in  the  semi-darkness,  Lepine  fancied 
it  was  Crochard;  then  he  saw  that  this  man  was 
slighter,  that  his  face  was  bloodless,  and  that  he  wat 
staring  with  hunted  eyes. 


128  THE  DESTROYER 

With  a  little  start  of  surprise,  he  looked  again; 
then  he  sat  down. 

"  So,  Samson,  it  is  you  I  "  said  Lepine,  quietly. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  Samson.  "  I  was  expect- 
ing you.  But  I  did  not  think  you  would  recognise 
me  so  readily." 

Lepine  laughed  shortly. 

"  I  have  a  good  memory,"  he  said.  "  Crochard 
told  you,  perhaps,  that  I  might  come?  " 

"  Yes,  sir;  and  he  directed  that  I  give  you  this." 

He  handed  Lepine  a  note.  The  latter  broke  the 
seal,  held  it  to  the  light  and  read  it  carefully : 

*  My  dear  M.  Lepine: 

"  I  have  found  ft  necessary  to  leave  Toulon,  in  the  pursuit 
of  a  certain  business,  whose  nature  you  can  guess.  I  hope 
soon  to  have  good  news  for  M.  Delcasse  and  yourself. 
Meanwhile,  I  would  remind  you  of  our  agreement  as  to  my 
friends.  Samson  is  one  of  them.  He  has  already  been  of 
some  service  in  this  affair,  and  may  be  of  more.  We  can 
discuss  his  future  upon  my  return.     I  will  answer  for  him. 

"  Crochard,  L'Inyincible !  " 

Lepine  refolded  the  note  and  slipped  it  into  his 
pocket. 

"  When  did  Crochard  leave?  "  he  asked. 

"  He  gave  me  the  note  at  four  o'clock  yesterday 
afternoon,  sir,  and  stated  that  he  was  about  to  de- 
part.    I  have  not  seen  him  since." 


CHECKMATE  129 

**  Did  he  mention  his  destination?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

Lepine  regarded  his  companion  thoughtfully. 

"  There  is  one  thing  that  perhaps  you  can  tell 
me,  Samson,"  he  said.  "  Previous  to  his  departure, 
did  he  visit  the  house  at  80  Rue  du  Plasson?  " 

**  I  think  it  very  probable,"  answered  Samson, 
after  a  moment's  hesitation.  "  I  myself  furnished 
M.  Crochard  with  that  address,  when  he  returned  to 
the  cafe  yesterday  for  his  lunch." 

"  Ah !  "  said  Lepine.  "  So  it  was  you  discovered 
it!" 

He  fell  a  moment  silent,  studying  the  other's  coun- 
tenance. 

"  You  have  indeed  changed,  Samson,"  he  said,  at 
last.  "  I  suppose  it  was  Crochard  who  arranged 
your  escape?  " 

Samson  made  no  reply. 

**  You  have  a  good  business  here?  " 

"  Very  good,  sir." 

"  You  know,  of  course,  that  it  is  my  duty  to  de- 
nounce you  as  an  escaped  criminal?  " 

**  Yes,  I  know  that,  sir." 

"  Crochard  tells  me  that  he  will  answer  for  you  — 
in  other  words,  he  guarantees  that  you  will  not  run 
away.     Do  you  understand  that?  " 

"  Do  not  fear,"  said  Samson,  huskily.     "  Mon- 


I30  THE  DESTROYER 

sleur  will  always  find  me  here  when  he  requires  me.'* 

Lepine  looked  at  him  for  a  moment,  then  got  ab- 
ruptly to  his  feet. 

"  Very  well,"  he  said;  "  I  shall  do  nothing  for  the 
present,"  and  he  left  the  cafe. 

It  was  nearly  eight  o'clock,  and,  feeling  the  need 
of  dinner,  Lepine  made  his  way  back  to  his  hotel; 
but  his  hunger  was  destined  to  go  unsatisfied,  for,  as 
he  stepped  through  the  doorj  Pigot  touched  him  on 
the  arm. 

"  M.  Delcasse  wishes  to  see  you  at  once,"  he  said, 
and  Lepine,  with  one  regretful  glance  in  the  direction 
of  the  dining-room,  hurried  up  the  stairs  to  the  Min- 
ister's apartment.  He  found  him  dictating  to  his 
secretary,  a  great  pile  of  letters  before  him. 

Without  pausing  in  his  dictation,  Delcasse  picked 
up  a  telegram  which  lay  at  his  elbow,  and  handed  it 
to  Lepine.  It  was  dated  from  Paris,  and  had  been 
filed  but  an  hour  before.     It  read : 

**  Seven  notes  one  hundred  francs  B162810R  to 
B162816R  deposited  to-day  by  Thomas  Cook  &  Son. 

"  LiNNE,  Governor  Bank  of  France." 

Lepine  laid  the  telegram  on  his  desk  and  glanced 
at  his  watch. 

"  I  must  be  in  Paris  in  the  morning,"  he  said. 

Delcasse  nodded. 

"  Yes,"  he  agreed.     "  And  Crochard?  " 


CHECKMATE  131 

"  Is  no  doubt  already  there,"  and  he  handed  Del- 
casse  the  note  which  Samson  had  given  him. 

Delcasse  read  it,  and  looked  up  with  an  amtised 
smile,  in  which  there  lurked  a  trace  of  malice. 

"  What  a  man !  "  he  said.  "  Nevertheless,  Le- 
plne,  I  think  you  would  better  go.  You  may  be  able 
to  assist  him !  Give  him  my  compliments,  and  keep 
me  informed,"  and  he  turned  back  to  his  secre- 
tary. 

The  Paris  office  of  the  Messrs.  Cook  is  at  the  cor- 
ner opposite  the  Opera  House,  and  here,  about  ten 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Thursday,  September  28, 
a  little  grey-bearded  man  descended  from  a  fiacre, 
entered,  and,  after  a  short  delay,  was  admitted  to  the 
presence  of  the  manager,  who  made  it  clear  at  once 
that  he  was  entirely  at  the  service  of  his  distinguished 
visitor. 

Lepine  sat  down  and  produced  from  his  pocket 
seven  notes  of  the  Bank  of  France,  for  one  hundred 
francs  each.  They  were  quite  new  and  had  not 
even  been  folded. 

"  These  notes  were  deposited  by  you  yesterday  aft- 
ernoon," he  said.  "  I  should  like  to  know  from 
whom  they  were  received." 

The  manager  took  the  notes  and  glanced  at  them. 

"  That  will  not  be  difficult,  sir,"  he  said.  "  Our 
cashier  can   no   doubt  tell  us   from   which  of  our 


132  THE  DESTROYER 

clerks  he  received  them.     Excuse  me  a  moment." 

He  hurried  from  the  room  with  the  notes  in  his 
hand,  and  Lepine,  strolling  to  the  window,  relapsed 
into  his  favourite  amusement.  At  no  other  corner  in 
the  city  could  it  be  practised  so  profitably,  for  here, 
at  the  meeting  of  the  Boulevards,  all  Paris,  sooner  or 
later,  passed;  and  not  Paris  only,  but  vagrants  from 
every  nation.  So  Lepine  watched  the  crowd  in- 
tently, hi$  bright  eyes  skipping  from  face  to  face  — 
a  mere  glance  at  one,  a  longer  glance  at  another,  a 
close  stare  at  a  third.  Perhaps,  at  the  back  of  his 
mind,  there  was  the  hope  that  some  incredible  good- 
fortune  might  send  past  this  corner  a  shrunken,  white- 
haired  man,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  his  dark-haired 
daughter.  ... 

The  opening  of  the  door  behind  him  broke  into 
his  thoughts,  and  he  turned  to  find  that  the  manager 
had  brought  another  man  back  with  him. 

"  This  is  the  clerk  who  received  the  money,'*  said 
the  manager,  and  returned  the  seven  notes  to  the  de- 
tective. 

Lepine  motioned  the  clerk  to  be  seated,  and  him- 
self sat  down  facing  him. 

"  Tell  me  all  that  you  remember  of  the  transac- 
tion,*' he  said. 

**  It  was  Tuesday  afternoon,  sir,"  the  clerk  began, 
**  about  four  o'clock,  I  should  say,  that  a  man  came 
to  the  counter  and  stated  that  he  desired  a  stateroom, 


CHECKMATE  133 

with  two  berths,  second-class,  for  the  Prinzsessin 
Ottilie,  the  sailing  of  yesterday." 

"  What  sort  of  a  man?  '*  asked  Lepine. 

**  A  thin  man,  past  middle-age.  His  hair  was 
quite  grey  and  he  was  of  a  dark  complexion,  with 
very  bright  eyes." 

"  What  language  did  he  use?  " 

"  He  spoke  in  English,  sir." 

"Fluently?" 

"  Quite  fluently,  sir." 

"  Very  well ;  proceed." 

"  I  was  in  some  doubt  as  to  whether  such  a  state- 
room was  available,  as  this  is  the  busy  season;  but 
on  reference  to  our  list,  I  found  that  there  was  such 
a  stateroom.  A  customer  to  whom  we  had  sold  it 
had  just  called  at  the  office,  saying  that  he  would  not 
be  able  to  sail,  and  leaving  his  tickets  with  us  to  re- 
sell, if  possible.  When  I  told  the  man  of  this,  he 
seemed  very  pleased,  took  the  tickets,  and  gave  me 
the  seven  hundred-franc  notes.  My  attention  was 
called  to  them  because  they  were  quite  new  and  un- 
folded. He  took  them  from  a  long  envelope  which 
he  carried  in  an  inner  pocket,  and  which  seemed  to 
contain  a  large  sum  of  money." 

"  Do  you  remember  the  number  of  the  state- 
room ?  " 

The  clerk  spread  out  before  Lepine  a  cabin-plan 
of  the  ship. 


134  THE  DESTROYER 

**  It  was  this  one,  sir,"  he  said,  and  placed  his 
finger  on  514;  "an  inner  room,  you  see,  on  the  up- 
per deck." 

*'  You  asked  the  man's  name,  I  suppose?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir.  I  caused  him  to  fill  out  the  usual 
blank.     Here  it  is." 

Lepine  took  the  blank  and  looked  it  over.  It 
stated  that  stateroom  No.  514,  on  the  Prinzsessin 
Ottilie,  for  the  sailing  of  September  27,  two  berths, 
second-class,  had  been  purchased  of  Thomas  Cook 
&  Son  by  Ignace  Vard,  of  New  York  City,  the  berths 
to  be  used  by  himself  and  his  daughter;  and  that  he 
had  paid  for  these  berths  the  sum  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  francs,  being  payment  in  full,  the  receipt  of 
which  was  acknowledged.  The  blank  also  stated 
that  Mr.  Vard  was  a  naturalised  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  and  had  lived  in  that' country  for  ten  years. 

"The  sailing  was  from  Cherbourg?"  Lepine  in- 
quired, when  he  had  assimilated  all  this. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"At  what  hour?" 

"  About  four  o'clock,  sir  —  four  o'clock  yesterday 
afternoon." 

"  How  did  It  happen,  sir,"  Lepine  asked,  turning 
to  the  manager,  "  that  the  notes  were  not  deposited 
until  yesterday?  " 

"  Our  deposit  Is  made  up  at  three  o'clock  each 
afternoon,"   the   manager    explained.     "  The   notes 


CHECKMATE  134 

came  In  too  late  for  Tuesday^s  deposit,  and  were 
placed  in  our  safe  until  the  next  day." 

Lepine  made  a  brief  entry  in  his  notebook,  handed 
back  the  blank  and  rose. 

'*  I  thank  you  very  much,  gentlemen,"  he  said. 
**  You  have  been  most  obliging.  The  information 
you  have  given  me  will  be  of  the  very  greatest  serv- 
ice." 

And  with  that  he  took  his  leave,  returned  light- 
heartedly  to  his  office  and  sent  a  wireless  to  the  cap- 
tain of  the  Ottilie,  The  fugitive  could  not  escape 
him  now;  it  was  merely  a  question  of  arresting  him 
as  he  left  the  boat  at  New  York;  soon,  soon,  Lepine 
would  have  the  pleasure  of  putting  him  on  the  grill, 
and,  once  there,  the  detective  felt  sure  that  there 
would  be  some  important  revelations  before  he  got 
off  again.  One  fact  'surprised  him  —  that  Vard 
should  be  an  American  citizen;  but  perhaps  that  was 
not  the  truth.  If  it  was  the  truth,  it  would  make 
the  arrest  at  New  York  a  little  awkward;  a  formal 
i  complaint  would  have  to  be  made,  a  charge  of  some 
kind  trumped  up.  But  there  was  no  hurry  —  a 
week  remained  in  which  to  mature  the  plans. 

So  Lepine,  after  sending  a  brief  report  in  cipher 

to  M.  Delcasse,  turned  to  the  work  which  had  accu- 

\   mulated  during  his  absence  in  a  happier  and  more 

contented  frame  of  mind  than  he  had  enjoyed  for 

some  days. 


136  THE  DESTROYER 

"I  shall  relish  my  lunch  to-day!"  he  reflected; 
but,  alas!  it  was  just  as  he  was  preparing  to  sally 
forth  for  it  that  the  blow  fell. 

"  A  message  for  you,  sir,'*  his  secretary  said,  and 
handed  him  a  light-blue  envelope. 

"  Ah !  "  said  Lepine,  "  a  wireless  1  '*  and  he  ripped 
it  open  eagerly.  Then  he  remained  staring  at  it 
with  astounded  eyes.     Here  is  the  message  : 

"  pRiNZSESSiN  Ottilie,  September  28,  11:10  a.  m. 

''Radio  via  Cherbourg, 

"Lepine,  Paris. 

"  No  record  of  Ignace  Vard  and  daughter  on  OttiliCi, 
Stateroom  514  unoccupied. 

"  Hausmann,  Captain." 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  LAND  OF  FREEDOM 

The  old  town  of  Cherbourg  was  experiencing  its 
lemi-weekly  apotheosis.  For  five  days  of  the  seven 
a  duller  place  would  be  difficult  to  find,  but  on 
Wednesdays  and  Saturdays,  when  the  great  trans- 
Atlantic  liners  were  due  to  pause  in  the  outer  har- 
bour and  take  aboard  the  multitudes  homeward- 
bound  to  America,  the  town  was  transfigured.  The 
transfiguration,  indeed,  began  on  the  previous  even- 
ings, for  it  was  then  that  the  less-knowing  and  more 
timid  of  the  tourists  began  to  arrive. 

The  knowing  ones,  having  once  tasted  the  Lethe 
of  Cherbourg,  remained  in  Paris  until  the  last  minute, 
and  stepped  from  the  boat-train  to  the  waiting  ten- 
der. But  the  less  well-intormed  came  on  the  day  be- 
fore —  and  never,  for  the  remainder  of  their  lives, 
forgot  the  dulness  of  their  last  day  in  Europe. 
Then  there  were  the  nervously-anxious,  their  peace 
of  mind  already  wrecked  by  the  vagaries  of  the 
European  baggage-system,  who  dared  not  run  the 
risk  of  arriving  at  the  last  moment.  So  they,  too, 
journeyed  to  Cherbourg  the  day  before  the  sailing- 
date,  in  order  to  have  a  clear  twenty-four  hours  in 

«37 


138  THE  DESTROYER 

which  to  search  for  the  pieces  which  were  certain  to 
be  missing.  That  day  at  Cherbourg  was  always  an 
expensive  one,  for  the  hotel-keepers  of  the  place, 
having  to  live  for  seven  days  on  the  proceeds  of  two, 
arranged  their  rates  accordingly. 

At  the  edge  of  the  narrow  strip  of  rock-strewn 
sand  which  constitutes  the  beach  at  Cherbourg, 
stands  the  Grand  Hotel  —  familiar  name  to  every 
traveller  in  Europe,  where  even  the  smallest  hamlet 
has  Its  "  Grand.''  The  one  at  Cherbourg  Is  a  ram- 
bling, three-storied  frame  structure,  with  a  glass-en- 
closed dining-room  overlooking  the  harbour,  and 
here,  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  the 
twenty-seventh  of  September,  In  the  year  of  our  Lord 
nineteen  hundred  and  eleven,  Daniel  Webster  was 
disconsolately  eating  that  frugal  meal  which  Is  the 
French  for  breakfast.  Not  the  great  Daniel  —  all 
well-informed  persons  are,  of  course,  aware  that  he 
passed  to  his  reward  some  sixty  years  ago  —  but  a 
well-built,  fresh-faced,  rather  good-looking  young  fel- 
low, still  on  the  right  side  of  thirty,  who  had  most 
inadvisedly  chosen  to  appear  In  this  world  of  trouble 
on  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  the 
great  Daniel,  and  who  had  forthwith  been  handi- 
capped with  his  name. 

John  Webster,  an  honest  farmer  of  the  Connecti- 
cut valley,  had  always  been  a  worshipper  at  the^ 
shrlncsof  the  eloquent  New  Englander,  to  whom  he 


THE  LAND  OF  FREEDOM  139 

fancied  himself  related,  and  when,  having  taken  to 
himself  a  wife,  that  wife  presented  him  with  a  son 
on  the  very  day  when  the  centenary  of  his  hero's 
birth  was  being  celebrated,  the  coincidence  appeared 
to  him  too  momentous  to  be  disregarded,  and  the  boy 
was  christened  Daniel. 

It  was  a  thing  no  thoughtful  father  would  have 
done,  and  as  Dan  grew  older,  he  resented  his  name 
bitterly.  It  was  the  subject  of  brutal  jests  from  his 
playmates,  resulting  in  numberless  pitched  battles, 
and  of  still  more  brutal  hazing  when  he  pursued  his 
predestined  way  through  the  portals  of  the  univer- 
sity at  New  Haven.  Here  he  was  promptly  re- 
christened  Ichabod,  and  his  real  name  was  gradually 
forgotten. 

In  the  depths  of  his  heart,  John  Webster  may  per- 
haps have  hoped  that  this  was  to  be  a  real  reincarna- 
tion. If  so,  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment,  for 
the  younger  Daniel  gave  no  promise  of  being  either 
a  statesman  or  an  orator.  But  he  took  to  ink  as  a 
duck  to  water,  was  never  so  happy  as  when  his  pen 
was  spoiling  good  white  paper,  was  elected  editor  of 
the  News,  and,  commencement  over,  took  the  first 
train  for  New  York,  stormed  the  office  of  the  Record, 
for  which  he  had  acted  as  college  correspondent,  and 
demanded  a  job. 

He  got  it;  and  began  anew  the  task  of  living  down 
his  name.     Always,  when  introduced  or  introducing 


I40  THE  DESTROYER 

himself,  he  saw  in  the  eyes  opposite  his  own  that 
maddening  glimmer  of  amusement.  Then  he  gritted 
his  teeth  and  waited  for  the  joke.  There  were  four- 
teen possible  forms  that  it  might  take.  Tempted 
often  to  return  to  that  rocky  Connecticut  hillside,  he 
nevertheless  stuck  it  out,  and,  as  time  passed,  found 
he  didn't  mind  so  much.  He  even  reached  the  point 
where  he  made  bets  with  himself  as  to  which  of  the 
fourteen  it  would  be.  And  he  progressed  in  other 
ways:  the  material  symbol  of  the  progress  being 
that,  instead  of  cub  reporter  at  twelve  dollars 
a  week,  he  was  now  one  of  the  trusted  members  of 
the  staff  at  six  times  that  salary. 

Also  he  was  seven  years  older,  and  this  had  been 
his  first  long  vacation  —  six  weeks  in  England,  Bel- 
gium, Holland  and  France  —  glorious  weeks ;  but 
his  eyes  were  aching  for  the  lights  of  Broadway  and 
his  fingers  itching  for  the  pencil.  The  most  exacting 
and  bewitching  of  all  professions  was  clamouring  for 
him  again. 

Having  disposed  of  the  rolls  and  coffee,  he  rose 
reluctantly,  stepped  out  upon  the  beach,  and  filled 
and  lighted  his  pipe  —  with  a  grimace  at  the  first 
puff,  for  French  tobacco  is  the  worst  in  the  world, 
outside  of  Germany.  Before  him  lay  the  mighty 
breakwater  which  guards  the  harbour,  with  its  light- 
house in  the  middle  and  its  fort  at  either  end,  while 
to  his  left  were  the  great  naval  basins,  hewn  from  the 


THE  LAND  OF  FREEDOM  141 

solid  rock.  To  the  right,  below  the  high  sea-wall, 
the  narrow  beach  stretched  away,  empty  and  unin- 
viting. 

Dan  felt  depressed.  Cherbourg,  evidently,  was 
not  an  exciting  place.  He  had  never  seen  an  uglier 
beach,  but,  after  a  moment's  hesitation,  he  started 
off  along  it.     Perhaps,  farther  on,  it  might  improve. 

The  tide  was  going  out,  and  in  the  little  basips 
in  the  sand  minute  crabs  and  strange  sea-midgets 
scuttled  about  panic-stricken  at  finding  themselves 
marooned;  here  and  there  a  stranded  jelly-fish  glowed 
like  an  iridescent  soap-bubble,  and,  farther  out,  an 
ugly  mud  flat  began  to  be  revealed  by  the  retreat- 
ing water.  Some  distance  ahead,  a  ridge  of  tumbled 
rocks  ran  from  the  sea-wall  down  into  the  water, 
and,  as  he  drew  nearer,  he  saw  that  on  one  of  the 
rocks  a  girl  was  sitting. 

He  glanced  at  her  as  he  passed,  and  would  have 
liked  to  glance  again,  for  he  had  never  met  mrore  ar- 
resting eyes,  but  he  was  going  on  with  face  rigidly 
to  the  front,  when  her  voice  startled  him. 

"  Par  don  f  monsieur**  she  said.  It  was  a  con- 
tralto voice,  of  a  quality  that  made  his  pulses  leap. 

He  stopped  short  and  turned  toward  her,  incredu- 
lous that  it  could  be  he  to  whom  she  had  spoken. 
But  there  was  no  one  else  in  sight;  and  then  he  saw 
that  her  hands  were  gripped  tightly  in  her  lap  and 
that  her  lips  were  quivering. 


142  THE  DESTROYER 

''  Is  something  wrong?  "  he  asked,  and  took  a  step 
toward  her.     "  Is  there  anything  I  can  do?  *' 

"  Oh !  "  she  cried,  her  face  lighting,  and  a  wave 
of  colour  sweeping  into  her  cheeks.  "  Then  you  are 
an  American !  " 

"Yes;  thank  God!" 

"  So  say  I!  "  she  echoed.  ^  For  myself,  I  mean. 
I  also  am  an  American.  We  will  speak  English, 
then." 

"  I  should  much  prefer  it,"  he  smiled.  *'  My 
French  is  wholly  academic  —  and  covered  with  moss, 
at  that.  It  doesn't  even  enable  me  to  get  my  eggs 
turned!  " 

She  looked  at  him,  the  colour  deepening  in  her 
cheeks.  Dan,  looking  back,  decided  that  he  had 
never  seen  such  eyes;  he  could  scarcely  believe  that 
she  was  an  American.  She  did  not  look  in  the  least 
like  one.     But  she  was  speaking  rapidly. 

"  I  am  in  trouble,"  she  said,  "  as  the  result  of  my 
own  carelessness.  I  was  crossing  these  rocks,  with- 
out watching  sufficiently  where  I  was  going,  and  my 
foot  slipped.  See,"  and  she  swept  aside  her  skirts. 
"  I  cannot  get  it  out." 

Dan  was  on  his  knees  in  an  instant. 

"  Is  it  hurt?"  he  asked. 

"I  think  not;  or  at  most  only  a  little  strained. 
But  it  is  wedged  between  these  big  rocks,  and  I  can- 
not move  it." 


THE'  LAND  OF  FREEDOM  143 

Dan  touched  the  foot,  and  found  that  it  was,  in- 
deed, wedged  fast.  Then  he  examined  the  rocks, 
and  finally,  bending  above  the  smaller  one,  placed 
his  arms  firmly  about  it,  braced  his  feet  and  lifted. 
It  would  have  been  worth  while  to  have  seen  the  play 
of  his  back  and  shoulder  muscles  as  the  strain  tight- 
ened, but  it  was  over  in  a  moment.  For  the  rock 
rose  slowly,  slowly,  and  the  foot  was  free.  He  let 
the  rock  drop  softly  back,  stood  up  and  brushed  the 
sand  from  his  sleeves.  The  girl  bent  and  rubbed 
her  ankle. 

"  Is  it  all  right? ''  he  asked. 

**  I  think  so,"  and  she  took  an  experimental  step 
.or  two.  "  Yes;  not  even  sprained.  That  reminded 
me  of  Porthos,''  she  added,  looking  up  at  him,  her 
eyes  very  bright. 

He  laughed. 

**  Porthos  would  have  done  it  with  one  hand,"  he 
said,  "  while  saluting  you  with  the  other." 

She  hesitated  a  litde,  looking  along  the  beach; 
and  he,  guessing  her  thought,  raised  his  cap  and 
started  to  walk  on.  But  again  her  voice  stopped 
him.  Perhaps  she,  too,  was  something  of  a  mind- 
reader. 

**  I  owe  you  some  thanks,  you  know,"  she  said. 
*'  You  mustn't  go  off  till  IVe  paid  them  I  " 

Dan  swung  around,  his  face  glowing. 

**  Not  thanks !  "  he  protested.     **  But  if  you  would 


144  THE  DESTROYER 

take  pity  on  a  lonely  exile  and  talk  to  him  a  little, 
you*d  certainly  be  doing  a  noble  action!  " 

"  Is  it  as  bad  as  all  that?  "  and  Dan  noticed  how 
the  corners  of  her  eyes  crinkled  when  she  smiled. 

**  You  can't  imagine  how  lonely  I've  been  1  "  he 
said.  "  Especially  the  past  few  days.  I  didn't  feel 
it  so  much  till  I  was  starting  home.  America  I  "  and 
he  took  off  his  hat. 

"  The  land  of  freedom!  "  she  added,  softly. 

"  Do  you  feel  it  that  way,  too?  "  he  asked  eagerly. 
"  I've  never  been  much  of  a  patriot  —  just  took 
things  as  a  matter  of  course,  I  guess;  but  six  weeks 
In  Europe  is  enough  to  make  a  patriot  of  any  Amer- 
ican. Whenever  I  see  the  old  flag,  I  feel  like  going 
down  on  my  knees  and  kissing  it^  I've  just  begun  to 
realise  what  It  stands  for !  " 

She  had  turned  back  toward  the  hotel,  walking 
slowly  with  Dan  beside  her,  and  her  face  was^eam- 
Ing  as  she  looked  up  at  him. 

"You  are  right  —  oh,  so  right!"  she  cried. 
**  And  how  much  more  would  you  realise  it  If,  like 
me,  you  had  been  born  In  another  country  and  felt 
for  yourself  the  Injustice,  the  oppression,  of  which 
you  have  seen  only  a  little !  For  such  as  I,  America 
Is  Indeed  the  Promised  Land!  " 

So  she  was  foreign-born!  Dan  glanced  at  her 
with  a  shy  curiosity. 


THE  LAND  OF  FREEDOM  145 

**  You  are  a  Russian?  "  he  asked.  '*  Pardon  me 
if  I  seem  intrusive/* 

"  You  do  not.  No,  I  am  not  a  Russian.  Worse 
than  that !     I  am  a  Pole !  " 

The  words  were  uttered  with  a  tragic  emphasis 
which  left  him  speechless.  He  could  think  of  noth- 
ing to  say  that  was  not  banal  or  superficial,  and  he 
realised  that  here  were  deep  waters!  He  glanced 
once  or  twice  at  her  face,  which  had  grown  suddenly 
dark  and  brooding;  then,  with  a  little  motion  of  her 
hands,  she  seemed  to  push  her  thoughts  away. 

**  You  do  not  know  much  of  Polish  history,  per- 
haps,'* she  said.  In  a  lighter  tone.  "  But  if  you  are 
fond  o{  tales  of  heroism,  you  should  read  it,  for  it  is 
one  long  heroism.  It  will  help  you  to  realise  more 
fully  what  your  flag  stands  for.  It  is  my  flag,  too; 
I  have  lived  in  America  nearly  ten  years;  and  never 
do  I  grow  so  angry  as  when  I  hear  an  American 
speak  slightingly  of  his  country.  Here  is  the  ho- 
tel. Forgive  me  for  talking  like  this;  but  it  has 
done  me  good  to  meet  you  1  " 

**  And  me !  "  he  said.     "  Must  you  go  in?  " 

"  Yes;  my  father  will  be  wondering  where  I  am. 
Good-bye." 

She  held  out  her  hand  and  gave  his  a  frank  little 
pressure.     Then  she  turned  and  left  him. 

He  watched  until  the  door  swung  shut  behind  her; 


146  THE  DESTROYER 

then  he  walked  on  slowly,  past  the  great  basins,  over 
the  drawbridge,  along  the  crooked  streets  of  the  old 
town,  past  the  station,  and  finally  he  stopped  in  the 
shadow  of  a  crag  of  rock  which  sprang  abruptly 
three  hundred  feet  into  the  air.  Its  summit  was 
crowned  by  the  frowning  walls  of  the  great  fort 
which  commands  the  harbour,  and  along  the  face  of 
the  cliff,  blue  with  heather,  a  narrow  footpath  wound 
deviously  upward.  He  ascended  this  for  a  little 
way,  and  then  stopped,  his  elbows  on  the  wall  which 
guarded  it.  Before  him  stretched  the  bay,  shielded 
by  its  jetty,  and  beyond  rolled  the  white-capped 
ocean.     That  way  lay  America. 

"  The  land  of  freedom !  "  he  murmured,  and  his 
eyes  were  bright.     "  The  land  of  freedom  I  " 


CHAPTER  XI 

SHIPMATES 

When  Dan  got  back  to  the  hotel  for  lunch,  he  found 
that  there  had  been  many  arrivals  during  the  morn- 
ing. The  Adriatic  was  to  sail  that  afternoon,  as 
well  as  the  Ottilie,  and  the  long  dining-room  at  the 
hotel  was  a  busy  place.  As  the  head-waiter  led  him 
to  a  seat,  he  caught  a  glimpse,  far  off,  of  the  girl  of 
the  morning.  She  was  sitting  at  a  table  with  a 
white-haired  man  —  her  father,  of  course  —  with 
whom  she  was  talking  earnestly.  She  did  not  look 
up,  and,  in  another  instant,  Dan*s  guide  had  pulled 
out  a  chair,  and  he  found  himself  sitting  with  his 
back  toward  the  only  person  in  the  room  who  inter- 
ested him. 

He  told  himself  this  deliberately,  after  a  glance 
at  his  neighbours;  and  then,  in  the  next  moment,  he 
called  himself  a  cad,  for  every  human-being  is  inter- 
esting, once  you  get  below  the  skin.  But  degrees  of 
interest  vary,  and  Dan  felt  that  he  had  never  met  any 
one  who  promised  so  much  as  this  outspoken  girl, 
with  the  shining  eyes  and  sensitive  mouth.  Which 
boat  was  she  sailing  by,  he  wondered?  It  was  an 
even  chance  that,  like  himself,  she  would  be  on  the 

147 


148  THE  DESTROYER 

Ottilie,  Yes  —  but  second  class?  That  would  be 
asking  too  much  of  Fortune  I  Let  it  be  added  here 
that  Dan  was  returning  in  the  second-cabin  not  be- 
cause —  as  he  was  to  hear  so  many  times  on  that 
voyage  I  —  there  was  no  room  in  the  first,  but  be- 
cause by  doing  so,  he  had  saved  the  money  for  an 
extra  week  of  travel. 

He  found  more  arrivals  in  the  office  when  he  left 
the  table,  and  a  formidable  array  of  baggage,  which 
was  presently  loaded  on  vans  and  trundled  away 
toward  the  waiting  tender.  He  paid  his  bill,  col- 
lected the  two  suit-cases  which  constituted  his  total 
impedimenta,  saw  them  safely  off  for  the  pier,  tipped 
the  porter,  and  left  the  hotel.  The  whistle  of  the 
tender  was  blowing  shrilly,  and,  when  he  reached  the 
pier,  he  saw  far  out  at  sea  the  smudge  of  smoke 
against  the  sky,  which  told  that  one  of  the  steamers 
was  approaching.  He  boarded  the  tender,  assured 
a  medical  inspector  that  he  was  an  American  citizen 
and  so  did  not  need  to  have  his  eyes  examined,  dug 
his  suit-cases  out  of  the  pile  of  luggage,  and  found 
himself  a  seat  near  the  bow  of  the  boat.  Presently 
the  special  boat-train  rolled  in  along  the  pier  and 
disgorged  the  final  quota  of  passengers. 

Ten  minutes  later,  with  a  shrill  toot,  the  tender 
backed  away  and  headed  out  across  the  harbour. 
With  a  queer  feeling,  half  of  sorrow,  half  of  joy, 
Dan  looked  back  at  the  receding  shore,  telling  him- 


SHIPMATES  149 

self  that  the  next  soil  his  feet  touched  would  be  that 
of  America. 

A  mile  out,  the  great  liner  lay  waiting,  impres- 
sively huge  as  seen  from  the  deck  of  the  little  ten- 
der, and  presently  they  were  alongside  and  filing 
through  an  open  port.  A  steward  grabbed  his  suit- 
cases, the  instant  he  was  on  board,  asked  the  num- 
ber of  his  room,  led  him  to  it  along  interminable 
passages,  and  left  him  to  make  himself  at  home. 

There  were  two  berths  in  it,  and,  as  he  had  paid 
for  only  one  of  them,  he  knew  that,  at  this  crowded 
season,  he  could  scarcely  hope  to  have  the  whole 
room  to  himself.  But  there  was  as  yet  no  sign  of 
any  other  occupant,  so  Dan,  thrusting  his  bags  under 
the  lower  berth,  went  on  deck  again.  The  last  of 
the  baggage  and  mail  was  being  lifted  aboard  by  a 
block  and  tackle,  worked  by  a  donkey  engine,  and, 
even  as  Dan  looked,  the  tender  tooted  its  whistle, 
cast  loose,  and  backed  away,  and  suddenly  beneath  his 
feet  Dan  felt  the  quiver  which  told  that  the  screws 
had  started.  Slowly  the  great  ship  swung  around 
and  headed  away  into  the  west  toward  the  setting 
sun  —  and  toward  "  the  land  of  freedom.'*  How 
that  phrase  was  running  in  his  head  I 

He  made  a  little  tour  of  that  portion  of  the  boat 
set  awde  for  passengers  of  the  second  class,  and 
realised  that  the  frugal  Germans  were  much  less 
generous  in  their  provision  for  those  humble  ones 


I50  THE  DESTROYER 

than  was  the  English  line  on  which  he  had  come  to 
Europe.  There  the  second  class  was  well  amid- 
ships, with  a  deck-room  almost  equal  to  that  given 
the  aristocrats  at  the  bow.  Here  the  second  class 
was  at  the  very  stern,  and  the  deck-room  was  limited 
indeed.  Of  course,  Dan  told  himself,  the  Ottilie 
was  a  crack  boat,  designed  to  cater  to  the  most  ex- 
clusive trade;  but  he  looked  forward  at  the  long 
stretches  set  apart  for  the  first  cabin  with  a  little 
envy. 

The  boat  was  crowded,  but  he  saw  nothing  of  the 
black-haired  girl,  and  finally,  after  finding  that  there 
was  no  hope  of  getting  a  deck-chair,  he  sought  the 
dining-room  steward,  got  his  table-ticket,  and  made 
his  way  back  to  his  stateroom.  But  on  the  direshold 
he  paused.  A  man  was  lying  in  the  upper  berth,  the 
light  at  his  head  turned  on  and  a  paper  in  his  hand. 
He  raised  his  head  and  looked  down,  at  the  sound  of 
the  door,  and  Dan  had  the  impression  of  a  bronzed 
countenance  lighted  by  a  pair  of  very  brilliant  eyes. 

**  Ah,"  said  a  pleasant  voice,  "  so  this  is  my  ship- 
mate," and  the  stranger  swung  his  legs  over  the  side 
of  the  berth  and  dropped  lightly  to  the  floor.  Again 
Dan  had  the  impression  of  the  bright  eyes  upon  him. 

"  It  looks  that  way,"  he  said.  And  then  a  sudden 
compunction  seized  him.  "  I  didn^t  mean  to  be  a 
pig  and  take  the  lower  berth.  You  are  quite  wel- 
come to  it." 


SHIPMATES  151 

"  Oh,  no,  no,"  protested  the  other.  "  The  choice 
is  always  to  the  first  comer.  That  is  the  rule  of  the 
sea." 

Dan  noticed  that,  though  he  spoke  English  well, 
it  was  with  the  clipped  accent  which  betrayed  the 
Frenchman. 

"  Then  I  choose  the  upper  one,"  he  said,  laugh- 
ing. 

The  other  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  can  but  thank  you,"  he  said.  "  After  all,  you 
are  younger  than  I.  My  name  is  Andre  Chevrial, 
very  much  at  your  service,"  and  he  held  out  his  hand. 

If  he  had  announced  himself  to  be  a  prince  of  the 
blood,  Dan  would  not  have  been  surprised,  for  there 
was  that  in  his  bearing  which  bespoke  the  finished 
gentleman,  and  a  magnetism  in  his  manner  to  which 
Dan  was  already  yielding. 

"  Mine  is  Webster — -Dan  Webster,"  he  said,  and 
took  the  outstretched  hand  warmly. 

M.  Chevrial  looked  a  litde  puzzled. 

"The  name  seems  somehow  familiar,"  he  said; 
'*  but  I  cannot  quite  place  it." 

Dan  laughed. 

"  My  father  made  the  mistake  of  naming  me  after 
the  great  Daniel  —  a  hundred  years  after,"  he  ex- 
plained. 

**  Oh,  so  that  is  it  I  Daniel  —  Daniel  Webster. 
A  statesman,  was  he  not?  " 


152  THE  DESTROYER 

"  One  of  our  greatest." 

"  Though  it  did  not  need  that  to  tell  me  you  are  an 
American.  You  of  America  have  an  atmosphere  all 
your  own.  Shall  we  go  on  deck  and  have  a  ciga- 
rette?" 

So  presently  Dan  found  himself  seated  beside  M. 
Chevrial,  talking  very  comfortably.  The  Frenchman, 
to  Dan's  surprise,  proclaimed  himself  to  be  nothing 
more  important  than  a  wine-jobber  who  visited 
America  every  autumn  to  dispose  of  his  wares;  but, 
whatever  his  business,  he  was  certainly  a  most  enter- 
taining companion.  And  then,  suddenly,  Dan  quite 
forgot  him,  for  coming  toward  them  down  the  deck 
was  the  dark-eyed  girl,  arm  in  arm  with  a  man  whose 
burning  eyes  strangely  belied  his  snowy  hair.  Dan 
sat  staring  at  them,  scarcely  able  to  credit  such  stu- 
pendous good  fortune,  and,  as  they  passed,  the  girl 
looked  at  him,  smiled  and  nodded. 

M.  Chevrial,  whom  no  detail  of  this  little  »cene 
had  escaped,  lighted  another  cigarette. 

"A  very  striking-looking  young  lady,"  he  said. 
"  The  gentleman,  I  take  it,  is  her  father?  " 

"  Yes,  I  think  so,"  said  Dan.  "  I  met  her  for  a 
moment  on  the  beach  at  Cherbourg  this  morning, 
and  she  mentioned  that  she  was  with  her  father." 

**  Ah !  "  commented  Chevrial.  "  And  now  tell 
me  more  about  this  journalism  of  yours,  of  which 
we  hear  so  much.     Is  it  really  free?     Is  it  not  true 


SHIPMATES  153 

that  most  of  your  papers  are  controlled  by  wealthy 
syndicates,  who  use  them  for  their  own  purposes?  " 

This  was  a  red  flag  to  the  bull,  and  Dan  plunged 
into  a  defence  of  American  journalism,  citing  in- 
stances and  proofs,  telling  of  Incidents  in  his  own 
experience  showing  that  most  editors  really  have  con- 
sciences by  which  they  are  guided,  and  a  high  con- 
ception of  their  duty  to  the  public. 

"  There  are  exceptions,  of  course,"  Dan  went  on, 
carried  away  by  his  subject;  "  there  are  scoundrels  in 
the  newspaper  business,  just  as  in  all  businesses;  but 
it  is  one  of  the  beautiful  laws  of  compensation  that, 
just  as  soon  as  a  newspaper  goes  wrong,  its  influence 
begins  to  slip  away  from  it.  .  .  ." 

He  stopped  suddenly,  for  he  had  glanced  at  M. 
Chevrial  and  found  him  inattentive.  His  head  was 
turned  a  little  aside  and  his  eyes  were  fixed  with  a 
peculiar  and  Intent  expression  on  two  men  ivho  stood 
together  by  the  rail,  a  little  distance  away.  One  of 
them  was  the  man  with  the  white  hair.  The  other 
was  evidently  a  tourist,  from  his  costume,  and  though 
he  was  clean-shaven,  some  instinct  caused  Dan  to 
classify  him  as  a  German.  He  glanced  back  at 
Chevrial  at  last,  but  the  latter  was  gazing  dreamily 
out  over  the  water  and  stifling  a  little  yawn  with  his 
hand. 

"  Your  pardon,  M.  Webster,"  he  said.  "  But  I 
arose  very  early  this  morning,  in  order  to  catch  my 


154  THE  DESTROYER 

train,  and  I  am  tired.     I  think  that  I  shall  lie  down 
for  a  few  moments  before  dinner.     Au  revoir.'' 

Dan  sat  on  by  himself  for  a  little  while;  then  it 
suddenly  occurred  to  him  that,  if  he  looked  about, 
he  might  find  the  dark-eyed  girl  alone  somewhere. 
He  leaped  to  his  feet  and  began  the  search.  She 
was  not  on  the  promenade  deck,  nor  in  the  library, 
and  he  had  about  decided  that  she  had  returned  to 
her  stateroom,  when  it  occurred  to  him  that  she 
might  be  on  the  boat-deck.  So  he  climbed  the  nar- 
row stair  and  emerged  upon  that  lofty  eyrie.  No, 
she  could  not  be  here  —  it  was  too  windy;  then,  as 
he  glanced  around,  he  saw,  through  the  deepening 
twilight,  a  dark  figure  sitting  on  a  bench  in  the  lee 
of  one  of  the  boats. 

Could  it  be  she?  He  hesitated  to  approach  near 
enough  to  be  sure ;  but  at  last  he  mustered  up  courage 
to  stroll  past.  And  then,  in  an  instant,  his  cap  was 
off  and  his  hand  extended. 

"  I  can't  tell  you  how  glad  I  am  that  you  are  on 
the  boat!  "  he  began.     "  May  I  sit  down?  " 

"  Certainly,"  and  she  moved  a  little,  looking  up  at 
him,  smiling.     "  I  am  glad,  too." 

"Are  you?  It's  nice  of  you  to  say  so,  anyway. 
A  voyage  is  so  dull  if  there  is  no  one  to  talk  to.  Of 
course,  there  is  always  some  one  to  talk  to  —  but  I 
don't  mean  that  kind  of  talk.  I  mean  plumbing  the 
depths  —  you  know,  that  sort  of  thing." 


SHIPMATES  155 

**  You  think  I  can  plumb  the  depths?  " 

**  You  certainly  plumbed  mine  this  morning.  Not 
that  I  have  any  great  depths,"  he  added,  laughing; 
'*  but  your  line  touched  bottom,  and  gave  me  a  new 
feeling  which  I  think  was  good  for  me.  Now,  since 
we're  going  to  know  each  other,  I  want  to  introduce 
myself.  My  name  is  Webster  —  named  after  the 
great  Daniel,  but  called  Dan  so  that  future  historians 
can  distinguish  between  us  —  and  I  earn  a  precarious 
living  by  chasing  news  for  a  New  York  paper.'' 

"  And  my  name,"  she  responded  instantly,  "  Is 
Kasia  Vard;  and  I  have  earned  a  precarious  living 
in  many  ways —  I  have  worked  in  a  factory,  I  have 
sold  papers  —  I  have  even  cleaned  the  streets." 

"  Cleaned  the  streets?  "  he  repeated  incredulously. 

"  Oh,  that  was  not  in  America,"  she  said.  "  It 
was  at  Warsaw.  In  Poland,  just  as  in  many  other 
countries  of  Europe,  the  streets  are  cleaned  by  the 
women  and  children.  The  men,  you  see,  are  needed 
for  the  army." 

There  was  a  bitter  irony  in  her  voice  which  drew 
him  closer. 

*'  I  have  seen  women  and  children  working  in  the 
fields;  in  Holland  I  saw  them  helping  tow  the  boats 
and  working  in  the  brickyards.  That  was  bad 
enough.     But  I  never  have  seen  them  cleaning  the 


streets." 


**  Did  you  go  to  Munich?" 


156  THE  DESTROYER 

''  No." 

"  You  would  have  seen  them  doing  it  there  —  as 
they  do  it  all  over  Germany.  Had  you  gone  to 
Chemnitz,  you  would  have  seen  them  carrying  the 
hod." 

She  fell  silent,  and  Dan  leaned  back,  strangely 
moved.  How  young  he  was;  how  little  he  knew! 
Here  was  this  girl,  certainly  not  more  than  twenty, 
who  had  lived  more,  felt  more,  thought  more  than  he 
had  ever  done;  who  had  ideals.  .  .  . 

*'  Miss  Vard,"  he  said  finally,  in  a  low  voice, 
"  permit  me  to  tell  you  something.  I  am  just  an  av- 
erage fellow  with  an  average  brain,  who  has  gone 
about  all  his  life  with  his  eyes  only  half  open  — 
sometimes  not  even  that.  I  have  walked  up  and 
down  Broadway,  and  fancied  I  was  seeing  life!  I 
must  seem  awfully  young  to  you  —  I  feel  a  mere  in- 
fant —  intellectually,  I  mean.  But  I  want  to  grow 
up  —  it  isn't  good  for  a  man  of  twenty-nine  to  be  a 
mental  Peter  Pan.     Will  you  help  me?  " 

She  smiled,  the  bright,  sudden  smile,  which  he  had 
grown  to  like  so  much,  and  impulsively  she  held  out 
her  hand. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  I  will  help,  as  far  as  I  can. 
The  best  thing  I  can  do  for  you  is  to  introduce  you 
to  my  father.     He  can  help  far  more  than  I !  " 

"  Thank  you !  "  and  he  took  her  hand  and  held 
it.     "  It  was  your  father  I  saw  you  with?  " 


SHIPMATES  157 

**  Yes.  You  will  like  him.  He  is  the  most  won- 
derful man  in  the  world.  Now  I  must  be  going. 
He  will  be  looking  for  me." 

He  went  with  her  to  the  lower  deck,  then  retijrned 
to  the  bench,  and  stared  thoughtfully  out  over  the 
dark  sea.  What  a  woman  she  was!  And  then  he 
smiled  a  little  as  he  recalled  her  last  words,  '*  The 
most  wonderful  man  in  the  world  I  "  He  did  not 
suspect  that  the  time  would  come  when  he  would  echo 
them  I 


CHAPTER  XII 

UNDER  RUSSIAN  RULE 

When  Dan  found  his  seat  In  the  dining-saloon,  that 
evening,  he  glanced  up  and  down  the  long  table,  in 
the  hope  that  Miss  Vard  and  her  father  might  be 
among  his  neighbours.  But  they  were  not,  and  it 
was  not  until  he  was  half  through  the  meal  that  he 
descried  them  at  one  of  the  tables  on  the  other  side 
of  the  room.  At  his  own  table  there  were  the  usual 
assorted  types  of  the  middle-class  tourist,  his  wife 
and  family,  most  of  them  frankly  glad  that  they  were 
homeward  bound,  with  the  greatest  part  of  their  pil- 
grimage accomplished. 

The  sea  was  smooth  and  the  great  boat  forged 
ahead  with  scarcely  any  motion,  so  that  every  seat 
was  occupied  and  every  one  in  good  spirits.  There 
was  a  hum  of  talk  and  rattle  of  dishes;  the  white- 
coated  stewards  scuttled  back  and  forth,  and  the 
scene  was  as  pleasant  as  the  wholesale  human  con- 
sumption of  food  can  ever  be. 

Dan  went  on  with  his  dinner  with  one  eye  on  the 
far  table  where  Miss  Vard  and  her  father  were 
seated;  but  his  attention  was  distracted  for  a  tim^  by 
a  discussion  which  an  Anglomaniac  across  the  table 

158 


UNDER  RUSSIAN  RULE  159 

started  as  to  the  relative  merits  of  England  and 
America,  and  to  which  he  could  not  resist  contribu- 
ting a  few  remarks.  When  he  glanced  across  the 
saloon  again,  he  saw  that  Miss  Vard  and  her  father 
were  no  longer  there.  However,  he  finished  his 
dinner  with  the  comfortable  consciousness  that  the 
second-class  quarters  were  limited,  and  that  she  could 
not  escape  from  them  except  by  jumping  overboard; 
and  when  the  meal  was  ended,  he  made  his  way 
leisurely  through  the  lounge  and  along  the  decks  In 
search  of  her.  There  were  girls,  girls  everywhere, 
but  not  the  one  he  sought;  and  finally,  with  a  little 
smile,  he  mounted  the  ladder  which  led  to  the  after 
boat-deck. 

Already  other  couples,  scouting  about  the  ship, 
had  discovered  the  advantages  of  its  dim  seclusion, 
and  most  of  the  benches  in  the  lee  of  the  boats  and 
about  the  little  wireless-house  were  occupied;  but,  on 
that  one  bench,  In  the  shadow  of  the  after  life-boat, 
Dan  descried  a  solitary  figure.  He  advanced  with- 
out hesitation. 

"  I  was  hoping  I  should  find  you,"  he  said. 

She  moved  a  little  aside,  as  an  invitation  for  him 
to  share  the  bench. 

'*  I  like  It  up  here,"  she  said,  '*  with  no  light  but 
the  stars,  and  that  strange  luminous  glow  along  those 
wires  up  yonder." 

Lx)oking  up,  Dan  saw  that  the  gridiron  of  wires 


i6o  THE  DESTROYER 

stretched  between  the  masts  was,  indeed,  faintly  lu- 
minous against  the  sky. 

"  That*s  the  wireless,'^  he  said.  "Listen  —  you 
can  hear  it,"  and  from  the  open  window  of  the  wire- 
less-house came  the  vicious  snap  and  crackle  of  elec- 
tricity.    "  The  operator  is  sending  a  message.'* 

She  looked  up  again  at  the  glowing  wires. 

"  I  think  it  the  most  wonderful  thing  in  the 
world !  *'  she  said.  "  I  can't  understand  it  —  I  can't 
believe  it  —  and  yet,  there  it  is !  " 

* "  Yes  —  and  I  suppose  it  has  become  an  every-day 
affair  to  the  operator  in  there;  it  Isn't  wonderful  to 
him  any  more.  We  forget  how  wonderful  a  lot  of 
things  are,  when  we  get  used  to  them." 

"How  wonderful  everything  is,"  she  corrected; 
"  the  sunrise,  the  ocean  .  .  ." 

They  sat  for  some  time  in  silence,  gazing  out 
across  the  dark  and  restless  water,  touched  here  and 
there  with  white,  as  a  wave  combed  and  broke.  Then 
Dan's  gaze  wandered  to  her  face.  Seen  thus,  in  the 
dim  light,  framed  by  her  dark  hair,  it,  too,  seemed 
wonderful  to  him;  there  was  about  it  a  mystic  allu- 
siveness,  a  subtle  charm,  far  more  compelling  than 
mere  beauty  ever  is ;  her  eyes  had  depths  to  them  .  .  . 

She  felt  his  gaze  upon  her  and  turned  her  face  to 
him  and  smiled. 

**  You  may  smoke,  if  you  wish,"  she  said.  "  I  can 
feel  that  at  the  back  of  your  mind." 


UNDER  RUSSIAN  RULE  i6i 

**  I  believe  I  'n^as  thinking  about  It,"  Dan  admitted, 
and  got  out  his  pipe ;  but  he  had  himself  been  scarcely 
conscious  of  the  thought,  and  it  amazed  him  that  she 
should  have  detected  it.  There  was  the  flare  of  a 
match,  and  he  sat  back  again,  exhaling  a  long  puff. 
"  Now,"  he  said,  "  you  are  going  to  begin  my  edu- 
cation.    I  am  ready  for  the  first  lesson." 

"How  shall  I  begin?" 

"  I  think  an  excellent  way  would  be  to  tell  me 
something  about  yourself,"  he  suggested. 

She  considered  him  gravely. 

**  Are  you  really  in  earnest?  "  she  asked. 

"  Indeed  I  am,"  he  answered  quickly,  colouring 
a  little  under  her  searching  eyes.  "  Forgive  me  if  I 
seemed  not  to  be.  And  please  begin  in  any  way  you 
think  best." 

"  I  will  tell  you  something  about  Poland,"  she 
said,  "  and  then  you  will  understand  a  little  what  I 
and  all  like  me  feel  for  America.  You  know,  I  sup- 
pose, that  there  is  no  longer  any  such  land  as  Po- 
land?" 

**  I  know  that  Russia  and  one  or  two  other  powers 
divided  It,  about  a  hundred  years  ago." 

"Yes;  but  you  cannot  know  what  that  division 
meant  I  The  Poles  were  a  brave  and  patriotic  peo- 
ple; they  loved  their  country  as  it^  peoples  do;  and 
all  at  once,  great  armies  were  flung  upon  them;  they 
were  overwhelmed,  and  their  country  was  taken  away. 


i62  THE  DESTROYER 

They  lost  more  than  their  country:  they  lost  their 
language,  their  history,  their  national  life.  But  in 
spite  of  it  all,  they  remained  Poles. 

"  I  was  born  in  Russian  Poland,  not  far  from 
Warsaw.  From  the  very  first,  I  was  taught  that  I 
was  a  Pole,  not  a  Russian.  But  only  at  home,  under 
my  own  roof,  could  I  be  a  Pole.  The  teaching  of 
Polish  was  forbidden  in  any  school  —  every  word 
spoken  must  be  Russian.  If  children  were  over- 
heard talking  in  Polish,  they  were  arrested  by  the 
police  and  their  parents  summoned  and  fined.  On 
every  public  building  there  was  a  painted  notice: 
*  It  is  forbidden  to  speak  Polish.'  All  trials  were 
conducted  in  Russian,  although  none  of  the  peasants 
understood  Russian,  and  so  had  no  idea  of  what 
was  being  said.  No  official  was  permitted  to  an- 
swer a  question  in  Polish  —  I  have  known  a  tramcar 
conductor  to  be  heavily  fined  for  doing  so. 

*'  We  were  taught  history  in  which  the  name  of 
our  fatherland  was  never  mentioned,  but  where  Rus- 
sia was  treated  as  the  wisest,  best,  and  most  powerful 
of  nations,  with  the  Czar  second  only  to  God  him- 
self. We  could  not  leave  our  native  village  without 
permission  from  the  police.  No  Pole  could  fill  any 
public  office.  No  Pole  was  permitted  to  publish  a 
book  or  a  newspaper  or  even  a  handbill,  until  a  Rus- 
sian censor  had  passed  upon  It.-  If  you  ever  visit 
Poland,  you  will  notice,  here  and  there,  groups  of 


UNDER  RUSSIAN  RULE  163 

tall  wooden  crosses.  They  mark  graves.  But  if 
one  of  those  crosses  decays  or  falls  down,  it  may  not 
be  replaced  without  permission  from  the  government. 
One  night,  the  cross  over  the  grave  of  my  father*s 
mother  was  struck  by  lightning;  and  for  two  years 
it  lay  there,  until  permission  to  replace  it  had  come 
from  Petersburg.  It  was  among  such  surroundings 
that  my  childhood  was  passed." 

Kasia  did  not  seem  to  realise  that,  instead  of  tell- 
ing about  Poland,  she  was  telling  about  herself;  and 
Dan  was  deeply  moved.  He  had  listened,  in  his 
day,  to  many  stories,  but  never  to  one  like  this.  It 
was  as  though  the  dead  wrappings  of  history  were 
stripped  away,  and  its  seething,  desperate,  tragic 
heart  laid  bare. 

**  Go  on,"  he  said  thickly,  and  folded  his  arms 
tightly  across  his  breast. 

"  My  father  had  hoped  to  be  a  student  of  sci- 
ence," she  went  on;  "  but  he  was  refused  admission 
to  the  university  because  of  some  absurd  suspicion, 
and  after  that  he  could  study  only  secretly.  When 
he  married,  he  rented  a  little  farm  near  Warsaw; 
and  there  he  and  mother  toiled  all  day  long,  and  the 
children  too,  as  soon  as  they  were  old  enough. 
There  were  four  children  —  two  boys  and  two  girls. 
I  was  the  youngest.  Twice  every  year,  my  mother, 
my  sister  and  I  walked  in  to  Warsaw,  and  spent  a 
week  there  helping  to  clean  the  streets;  this  service 


1 64  THE  DESTROYER 

was  required  of  all  families  In  the  villages  about 
Warsaw,  and  could  be  escaped  only  by  paying  a  heavy 
tax.  We  had  also  to  assist  in  keeping  the  roads  In 
repair,  and  for  this,  too,  the  women  and  children 
were  employed,  since  the  men  could  not  be  spared 
from  the  work  of  the  farm.  At  nightfall  we  were 
always  exhausted,  and  would  swallow  our  soup  and 
black  bread  hastily,  and  then  fling  ourselves  down, 
dressed  as  we  were,  on  a  heap  of  straw  In  one  corner. 
We  were  very  poor,  and  yet  not  so  poor  as  we  seemed; 
but  to  have  added  one  little  comfort  to  our  home 
would  have  meant  a  visit  from  the  tax-inquisitor,  and 
perhaps  a  search.  The  only  way  to  escape  this  was 
to  live  In  miserable  poverty. 

"  In  spite  of  all  this,  my  father  still  kept  up  his 
studies.  At  night,  after  carefully  closing  the  shut- 
ters and  stuffing  the  cracks  with  rags,  so  that  no  ray 
of  light  could  be  seen  outside,  he  would  light  a  little 
tallow  dip  and  sit  reading  for  hours.  He  read  the 
same  books  over  and  over,  for  books  were  very  hard 
to  get.  The  ones  he  wanted  were  almost  always 
forbidden.  To  be  found  possessing  one  meant  ban- 
ishment. So  all  of  his  books  he  kept  concealed  even 
more  carefully  than  he  did  his  money.  Indeed,  he 
valued  them  more! 

"  Sundays  he  devoted  to  the  education  of  his  chil- 
dren, always  with  one  of  us  on  guard  outside  the  door. 
It  was  then  that  I  learned  to  read  English.     Father 


UNDER  RUSSIAN  RULE  165 

had  taught  himself  with  great  thoroughness,  because 
he  was  determined  some  day  to  go  to  America. 
America  —  that  was  his  dream!  But  how  to  get 
there!  It  seemed  certain  that  he  could  never  save 
money  enough  to  pay  for  so  many.  That  problem 
was  soon  to  be  settled." 

She  paused  and  put  her  hand  to  her  throat,  shiver- 
ing a  little. 

**  Are  you  cold?  "  Dan  asked. 

**  No;  I  am  trembling  at  the  thought  of  what  re- 
mains to  tell.  A  case  of  cholera  appeared  in  our 
village.  It  was  reported  to  the  magistrate.  At  once 
all  the  Russian  officials  removed  to  Warsaw,  and  a- 
cordon  of  Russian  troops  was  thrown  about  the  vil- 
lage. No  one  was  permitted  to  enter  or  to  leave. 
The  cholera  spread.  The  people  were  ignorant; 
they  did  not  know  what  to  do,  and  there  was  no  one 
to  tell  them ;  they  could  only  wait  and  pray.  At  the 
end  of  a  month,  the  disease  had  spent  itself,  but  of 
those  who  had  lived  In  the  village,  only  one  in  ten 
remained.  Of  our  family,  there  were  left  only  my 
father  and  myself." 

Dan*s  hand  went  out  to  hers.  She  did  not  draw 
away. 

"  For  a  time,"  sl^  went  on,'"  father  was  stunned 
by  the  blow;  I  have  always  believed  that  he  was  very 
near  madness.  But  he  shook  off  his  sorrow  and  de- 
cided that  the  time  had  come  to  seek  America.     We 


1 66  THE  DESTROYER 

could  not  depart  openly;  that  was  not  permitted;  so 
one  night  he  dug  up  the  little  hoard  of  money  he  had 
concealed,  cut  off  my  hair  and  dressed  me  in  boys' 
clothes,  arrayed  himself  in  the  rags  of  a  goat-herd, 
and  about  midnight  we  set  off.  I  was  eleveiv  years 
old  at  the  time,  and  I  remember  every  incident  dis- 
tinctly. We  could  travel  only  at  night,  hiding  at 
every  sound.  By  day,  we  concealed  ourselves  under 
culverts,  in  ditches,  under  heaps  of  brush.  Luckily, 
Polish  people  are  eager  to  help  each  other,  so  we 
did  not  starve,  and  we  got  forward  a  little  every 
night.  At  the  end  of  six  weeks,  we  crossed  the 
frontier  and  were  safe. 

**  There  is  not  much  more  to  tell.  We  reached 
New  York ;  and  I  was  placed  in  school  —  I  wish  you 
could  realise  all  that  meant  to  me !  For  a  long  time, 
I  could  not  go  out  into  the  street  without  being 
afraid.  It  seemed  impossible  that  there  was  no 
longer  anything  to  fear.  When  at  last  I  understood, 
it  was  as  though  a  great  load  were  lifted.  That  was 
ten  years  ago.  For  the  past  three  years,  I  have  been 
a  teacher  in  the  Hester  Street  school." 

She  sat  silent  for  a  moment,  then  with  a  long 
breath,  drew  her  hand  away. 

"Do  you  wonder  that  I  love  America?"  she 
asked. 

**  No,"  said  Dan;  "  and  you  have  made  me  a  bet- 
ter patriot." 


UNDER  RUSSIAN  RULE  167 

She  turned  to  him,  with  a  little  smile. 

"  And  now  I  think  of  it,"  she  added,  "  it  was  my 
story  I  told  you,  after  all  I  " 

"  Your  story  helps  me  to  understand  Poland's. 
That  Is  the  way  history  should  be  written." 

"  I  think  so,  too.  There  is  not  enough  in  most 
histories  of  the  common  people.  And  my  father 
says  it  is  only  they  who  really  matter.  He  has 
thought  very  deeply.  It  is  his  dream  to  make  all 
other  countries  like  America  —  free,  peaceful,  indus- 
trious —  only  better  than  America  has  yet  become, 
in  that  poverty  and  inequality  and  injustice  will  be 
abolished." 

"  A  magnificent  dream,"  Dan  agreed,  with  a  smile; 
**  but  impossible  of  accomplishment,  Fm  afraid." 

"No,  it  is  not  impossible!"  she  cried  quickly. 
"  It  will  be  accomplished,  and  by  him !  " 

Dan  looked  at  her  curiously.  Her  eyes  were 
blazing,  and  she  spoke  with  a  conviction,  with  an  en- 
thusiasm, which  puzzled  him. 

"  Tell  me  something  about  your  father,"  he  sug- 
gested. "  You  said  he  was  the  most  wonderful  man 
In  the  world." 

"  And  I  meant  it.  Could  anything  be  more  won- 
derful than  to  force  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  to 
break  up  their  navies,  to  dismantle  their  forts,  to 
disband  their  armies?  Could  anything  be  more 
wonderful  than  to  put  an  end,  once  for  all,  to  this 


i68  THE  DESTROYER 

waste  of  life  and  treasure,  which  is  eating  at  the 
heart  of  the  world?  Could  anything  be  more  won- 
derful than  to  turn  all  these  armies  of  useless  men 
back  into  honest  and  useful  labour?  Then  no 
longer  would  you  see  women  gathering  the  harvest, 
or  struggling  under  cruel  burdens,  or  cleaning  the 
streets,  or  spreading  manure  over  the  fields!  No, 
nor  walking  the  pavements  of  the  cities!  Would 
you  not  say  that  the  man  who  brought  all  this  about 
was  a  wonderful  man?*' 

"  Wonderful !  "  echoed  Dan.  "  Why,  wonderful 
would  be  no  name  for  it!  But  it  is  something  that 
no  man  can  ever  do." 

"  It  will  be  done,  believe  me,''  she  said,  solemnly, 
"  and  by  my  father." 

Dan  could  only  stare  at  her.  It  seemed  absurd  to 
suppose  that  she  could  be  in  earnest;  but  certainly 
her  face  was  earnest  to  solemnity.  It  shone  with 
consecration. 

"  But  I  don't  understand,"  he  stammered.  "  It's 
too  big  for  me.  How  is  it  to  be  accomplished? 
How  can  one  man  bring  it  about?  I  can  see  how 
the  Czar  or  Kaiser  might  set  to  work,  but  even  they 
could  not  hope  to  succeed.  The  Czar  did  try  some- 
thing of  the  sort,  didn't  he?  " 

"Yes;  but  he  was  not  in  earnest,  and  the  other 
nations  laughed.  At  my  father  they  will  not  laugh, 
for  he  is  in  deadly  earnest.     As  to  how  this  is  to  be 


UNDER  RUSSIAN  RULE  169 

done,  I  may  not  tell  you,  not  yet  —  some  day,  per- 
haps. But  one  thing  I  may  tell  you,  and  it  is  this 
—  my  father  holds  the  nations  of  the  world  in  the 
hollow  of  his  hand !  " 

For  a  moment  there  was  silence  between  them. 
The  moon  had  risen  as  they  talked,  and  the  dark  sea 
was  illumined  by  a  broad  path  of  silver.  The  boat- 
deck  was  almost  deserted;  the  snapping  of  the  wire- 
less had  ceased.  Miss  Vard  looked  about  her  with 
a  little  start. 

"  It  must  be  very  late,"  she  said.  "  I  must  be  go- 
mg. 

As  Dan  followed  her  across  the  deck,  he  noticed 
a  dark  figure  on  the  bench  next  to  the  one  where  he 
and  Miss  Vard  had  sat.  And  as  they  passed,  the 
stranger  struck  a  match  and  lighted  a  cigarette.  By 
the  glare  of  the  flame,  Dan  saw  that  it  was  his  room- 
mate, Chevrial. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

IN  THE  WIRELESS  HOUSE 

Fritz  Ludwig,  the  tall,  blond  young  man  who 
earned  his  eighty  marks  per  month  as  wireless  man 
on  the  Ottilie,  having  eaten  his  dinner  with  the  pas- 
sengers of  the  second-cabin  and  smoked  a  meditative 
pipe  at  the  door  of  the  little  coop  on  the  after  boat- 
deck  which  served  him  as  office  and  bedroom, 
knocked  out  the  ashes  and  entered  his  citadel  to  pre- 
pare for  the  night's  business.  But  first  he  connected 
up  his  detector  and  snapped  the  receivers  against  his 
ears,  just  to  sere  what  might  be  going  on.  The  op- 
erator on  the  Adriatic,  a  hundred  miles  behind  them, 
was  gossiping  with  Poldhu,  and  far  ahead  two 
boats  were  exchanging  information  about  the 
weather.  Then  Ludwig  glanced  up  quickly,  for  a 
step  had  sounded  at  the  door,  and  he  saw  a  man  just 
stepping  over  the  threshold. 

**  No  admittance  here !  "  he  called  sharply;  but  the 
man  advanced  another  step,  smiling  broadly. 

"My  dear  Fritz!"  he  said  in  German.  "Do 
you  not  know  me?  " 

And  Fritz,  staring  upwards,  and  seeing  his  vis- 
170 


IN  THE  WIRELESS  HOUSE  171 

itor^s  face  clearly,  tore  off  the  receivers,  sprang  to 
his  feet  and  saluted. 

**  Admiral  PachmannI"  he  gasped. 

Pachmann  laughed.  Then  he  turned,  closed  the 
door,  and  drew  the  shade  before  the  window. 

"  Yes,  It  Is  I ;  but  don't  shout  It  so  loudly,  Fritz. 
Let  us  sit  down.  I  saw  you  at  dinner  to-night  — 
yes,  I,  too,  am  of  the  second  class !  —  and  I  trem- 
bled lest  you  might  recognise  me  and  shout  my  name 
out  In  just  that  fashion.  So,  as  soon  as  I  could,  I 
hastened  up  to  warn  you.  I  am  travelling  Incognito 
upon  official  business,  and  in  public  you  are  not  to 
know  me." 

"  I  understand,  Herr  Admiral,"  said  Fritz.  "  I 
shall  be  most  careful." 

**  It  is  most  Important,"  Pachmann  warned  him; 
'*  and  I  shall  trust  you  not  to  forget.  How  do  you 
like  your  work  here?  " 

**  Very  well,  sir.     I  find  it  very  Interesting." 

**  I  shall  have  you  back  In  the  service,  neverthe- 
less, one  of  these  days,"  Pachmann  said.  "  Perhaps 
sooner  than  you  think,"  he  added. 

**  I  am  always  ready,  sir,"  said  Fritz. 

Pachmann  drew  out  a  cigar  and  lighted  It. 

"  Go  ahead  with  your  work,"  he  said.  "  There 
is  no  music  to  me  so  pleasant  as  the  snapping  of  the 
spark." 

Fritz  laughed. 


172  THE  DESTROYER 

**  I  know  that,  sir,"  he  said.  "  I  have  an  extra 
receiver,  if  you  care  to  put  it  on." 

**  Yes,  give  it  to  me,"  said  the  Admiral;  and  in  a 
moment  it,  too,  was  connected  with  the  detector. 

Fritz  replaced  his  own,  started  his  converter  and 
snapped  out  into  the  air  the  signal  which  told  the 
waiting  world  that  the  operator  of  the  Ottilie  was 
ready  to  receive  anything  it  might  have  to  communi- 
cate. Almost  at  once  Southampton  answered,  and 
there  was  a  little  preliminary  tuning,  till  the  signals 
came  clear  and  strong.  Then  Fritz  drew  a  pad  to- 
ward him,  picked  up  a  freshly  sharpened  pencil,  and 
told  Southampton  to  go  ahead. 

"  SN  three  fr  DKA,"  began  Southampton. 
"Time  9:500." 

Which  meant  that  Southampton  had  for  the 
Prinzsessin  Ottilie  three  messages  and  that  the  time 
was  9:50  o'clock  Greenwich. 

Fritz  glanced  at  the  dock  above  his  desk. 

"  Time  OK.  GA,"  he  signalled,  the  "  GA  "  be- 
ing  radio  for  "  Go  ahead." 

**  MSG  one,"  went  on  Southampton.  **  Eight  w 
Gary.  DKA.  Directors  have  command  of  situa- 
tion.    Morrissy. 

"MSG  two.  Nine  w  Gardenshire,  DKA. 
Missed  boat  will  follow  by  Carmania,     Hickle. 

"  MSG  three.  Eleven  w  Hodges,  DKA.  Cof- 
fee will  go  thirteen  Thursday  shall  I  sell.     Perkins." 


IN  THE  WIRELESS  HOUSE         173 

Fritz  had  taken  it  all  down  with  religious  care. 
At  the  last  word  he  snapped  open  his  key. 

"  OK.  Thanks  GN/»  he  ticked  off,  the  "  GN  '' 
being,  of  course,  "  good-night." 

He  waited  a  moment,  but  there  were  no  other 
calls  for  the  Ottilie,  and  he  took  off  his  receiver. 
Pachmann  followed  suit. 

**  That  was  a  great  pleasure,"  said  the  latter. 
"  The  signals  are  very  clear  to-night." 

**  If  you  could  come  in  later  on,  sir,"  Fritz  sug- 
gested, "  you  could  hear  the  news  service  from 
Poldhu.     There  is  a  station  for  you  I  " 

"At  what  hour  does  the  service  start?"  asked 
Pachmann. 

*'  Poldhu  always  calls  at  eleven-thirty,  sir,  and 
starts  the  news  service  as  soon  as  the  commercial 
business  is  out  of  the  way." 

**  I  shall  try  to  be  here,"  said  Pachmann.  "  This 
long-distance  service  is  a  great  delight  to  me,  espe- 
cially when  it  works  so  clearly  as  it  does  to-night. 
You  will  not  forget  about  my  incognito?" 

**  I  shall  not  forget,  sir,"  Fritz  assured  him,  and 
with  a  short  nod,  Pachmann  left  the  house.  Fritz 
sat  down  again  to  copy  out  his  messages  and  to  send 
three  or  four  which  the  captain's  steward  at  that 
moment  brought  in.  That  done,  he  thrust  his  head 
out  for  a  breath  of  air,  noticed  with  a  grin  the  cou- 
ples who  had  already  discovered  the  advantages  of 


174  THE  D^ESTROYER 

the  boat-deck  benches,  and  then  went  back  to  his  key 
for  a  little  gossip  with  such  other  Marconi  men  as 
might  be  within  reach.  It  was  nearly  eleven-thirty, 
and  all  of  them  were  sitting  at  their  tables,  waiting 
for  the  far-flung  signal  which  would  tell  that  the 
operator  at  Poldhu,  that  lonely  station  on  the  last 
sheer  cliff  of  Cornwall,  was  ready  for  his  night's 
work.  And  a  minute  later,  the  door  opened  and 
Pachmann  came  in. 

"  I  could  not  resist  your  invitation,  Fritz,"  he 
said.  "  This  gets  into  one's  blood,"  and  he  adjusted 
the  extra  receiver  and  sat  down. 

Almost  at  once  came  the  CQ,  CQ,  CQ,  ZZ,  ZZ, 
ZZ,  which  told  that  Poldhu  was  calling  for  all  sta- 
tions and  on  every  ship  within  a  thousand  miles  of 
that  point  of  rock,  the  wireless  man  tuned  up  his 
instrument,  and  waited.  The  commercial  messages 
came  first,  and  there  were  a  lot  of  them. ;  four  for  the 
Ottilie,  three  for  the  Adriatic,  five  to  be  relayed  far 
ahead  to  the  Mauretania,  one  for  the  incoming  Ma- 
jestic,  and  one  for  the  Rotterdam,  Then  the 
Poldhu  man  announced  that  he  was  ready  to  receive, 
and  as  many  more  were  sent  out  into  the  night  to 
him,  for  relay  on  to  London,  and  from  there  to  far- 
separated  points  on  the  continent.  At  last  there  was 
a  moment's  pause,  a  moment's  silence,  and  then  the 
SP,  SP,  SP,  which  told  that  the  news  service  was 
about    to    start.     And    every   man    within    hearing 


IN  THE  WIRELESS  HOUSE         175 

picked  up  a  fresh  pencil  and  made  ready  to  write,  as 
from  dictation. 

"SP,  SP,  SP,"  snapped  Poldhu.  "Time  12:54 
G.     Three  hundred  wds. 

**  War  between  Italy  and  Turkey  seems  inevitable 
stop  Italy  gives  Turkey  twenty- four  hours  to  agree 
to  Italy*s  occupation  of  Tripoli  stop  Six  thousand 
troops  at  Palermo  ready  to  embark  stop  Turkish 
munitions  and  reinforcements  already  landed  stop 
Board  of  Inquiry  into  La  Liberie  disaster  goes  into 
secret  session  stop  Rumour  of  attempt  to  destroy  La 
Patrie  also  stop  Moroccan  situation  grows  more  se- 
rious stop  Germany  demands  equal  rights  with 
France  abrogating  Algeclras  treaty  stop  Directors 
steel  trust  declare  company  is  legal  corporation  and 
will  not  take  voluntary  steps  to  dissolve  stop  Offi- 
cially announced  at  Chicago  that  one  hundred 
thousand  mep  on  Harriman  lines  will  strike  Saturday 
stop  September  coffee  sells  at  twelve-nlnety-elght 
New  York  exchange  record  price  stop  Boy  Scouts 
called  out  to  fight  plague  of  wasps  in  England 
stop  .  .  ." 

And  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  message.  And  when 
rhe  end  was  reached,  the  man  at  Poldhu  waited  fif- 
teen minutes  and  then  started  all  over  again  and  sent 
the  message  a  second  time,  so  that  every  one  would 
be  sure  to  get  it  all.  Then  he  shut  off  and  went  to 
bed. 


176  THE  DESTROYER 

Thursday  dawned  clear  and  warm,  and  the 
Ottilie^s  passengers,  appearing  on  deck  by  twos  and 
threes,  rejoiced  that  the  day  was  to  be  a  fine  one. 
They  found  the  world-news  of  the  day  before  await- 
ing them  on  the  bulletin  board  at  the  head  of  the 
main  companion-way,  and  had  great  fun  deciphering 
it,  very  few  of  them  stopping  to  think  how  wonderful 
it  was  that  it  should  be  there  at  all.  And  then  some 
of  them  celebrated  their  first  morning  at  sea  by  a 
three-mile  tramp  before  breakfast;  others,  less  stren- 
uous, lounged  at  the  rail,  waiting  impatiently  for  the 
breakfast-gong;  a  few,  finding  themselves  disturbed 
by  the  slow  and  even  motion  of  the  ship,  bundled 
themselves  up  in  their  steamer-chairs  and  hoped  that 
nature  would  soon  readjust  itself.  Then  the  gong 
sounded,  and  the  deck  was  deserted,  except  by  the 
bundled-up  occupants  of  the  chairs,  to  whom  the  so- 
licitous deck-steward  brought,  more  or  less  vainly, 
various  light  articles  of  food. 

An  hour  later,  the  decks  were  full  again.  From 
the  upper  deck  came  the  clack  of  shuffle-board;  on 
the  promenade  deck  the  chairs  were  full  of  novel- 
readers,  and  little  groups  here  and  there  were 
making  each  other's  acquaintance.  The  life  of  ship- 
board had  begun. 

On  the  boat-deck,  various  passengers,  singly  or  in 
twos  and  threes,  paused  to  listen  to  the  crackle  of 
electricity  which  came  from  the  little  wireless-house. 


IN  THE  WIRELESS  HOUSE         177 

The  door  was  closed,  but  by  standing  on  tip-toe  they 
could  see  over  the  screen  at  the  window,  and  catch 
a  glimpse  of  a  blond  young  man,  with  a  receiver 
clamped  over  both  ears,  bending  above  his  key,  from 
which  came  a  series  of  vicious-looking  sparks.  The 
sound  was  vaguely  disquieting,  suggesting  lightning 
to  the  more  timid,  or  some  strange  and  dangerous 
force  of  nature  not  to  be  trifled  with,  so  most  of 
them  preferred  to  descend  again  to  the  upper  prom- 
enade, or  to  sit  down  some  distance  away.  Pres- 
ently two  men  climbed  the  ladder  from  the  deck 
below,  and  looked  about  them. 

**  Let  us  sit  here,"  said  the  younger  of  them,  in 
German,  and  motioned  toward  a  bench  which  had 
been  built  against  the  cabin. 

"  Very  well,  Your  .  .  .''  He  stopped  himself 
abruptly.  "  It  is  difficult  to  break  oneself  of  a  long 
habit,"  he  said,  with  a  little  laugh;  and,  waiting  for 
the  other  to  seat  himself,  sat  down  beside  him. 

They  lighted  cigarettes  and  sat  for  a  moment 
without  speaking. 

There  was  a  considerable  difference  in  the  ages 
of  the  two.  One  was  past  middle-age,  heavily-built, 
and  with  a  face  bronzed  as  only  years  of  exposure 
to  wind  and  rain  could  bronze  it.  His  upper  lip 
was  a  shade  or  two  lighter  than  the  rest  of  his  face, 
and  spoke  of  a  moustache  recently  removed.  The 
other  man  had  also  an  outdoor  look,  but  he  had  not 


178  THE  DESTROYER 

been  hardened  by  long  service  as  his  companion  had. 
He  was  softer,  more  effeminate.  He  seemed  to  be 
not  over  twenty-one  or  two,  was  tall,  a  little  too  much 
inclined  to  plumpness,  but  with  an  open  and  In- 
genuous countenance,  lighted  by  a  pair  of  honest 
blue  eyes. 

"  It  Is  good,"  said  the  older  man,  at  last,  speaking 
in  German  and  In  a  tone  carefully  guarded,  "  to  sit 
here  and  listen  to  the  crackle  of  the  wireless  —  It 
seems  to  fit  in,  somehow,  with  this  beautiful  morning. 
I  have  grown  to  love  it ;  and  I  have  never  conquered 
my  wonder  —  It  is  so  marvellous  that  one  can  throw 
into  the  atmosphere  a  message  to  be  picked  up  and 
understood  hundreds  of  miles  away.  It  seems  even 
more  wonderful  on  the  ocean  than  on  the  land.  A 
message  that  travels  as  fast  as  light  travels.  Think 
of  It,  my  Prince !  " 

"  It  Is,  indeed,  wonderful,"  the  younger  man 
agreed.  "  But  it  seems  to  me,  my  dear  Admiral, 
that,  if  what  you  tell  me  Is  true,  there  Is  in  the  world 
at  this  monlent  something  more  wonderful  still  —  a 
force  which  even  you  do  not  understand." 

"  You  are  right,"  agreed  the  older  man,  gravely. 
*'  But  we  must  understand  it  —  we  must  control  it. 
It  means  world-empire !  " 

Both  their  faces  were  set  and  serious,  and  they 
spoke  almost  in  whispers,  with  a  glance  from  time  to 


IN  THE  WIRELESS  HOUSE         179 

time  to  make  sure  no  one  was  near,  or  a  lapse  into 
silence  when  any  one  approached. 

"  If  we  succeed,"  the  younger  man  began;  but  the 
other  grasped  him  by  the  arm. 

"  There  must  be  no  *  if,*  "  he  protested.  "  Do 
not  permit  yourself  to  use  that  word.  There  must 
be  no  failure!  Think,  for  a  moment,  of  the  tre- 
mendous issues  which  harig  upon  it  I  And,  after  all, 
the  game  is  in  our  hands." 

"  I  have  not  yet  met  the  inventor,*'  said  the 
younger  man;  '*  but  from  what  you  have  told  me,  I 
fear  he  is  an  enthusiast  who  will  make  difficulties. 
However,  as  you  say,  we  must  succeed  at  any  price." 

"  Yes;  at  any  price !  "  and  as  he  uttered  the  words, 
the  Admiral  glanced  searchingly  at  his  companion's 
face.  But  the  other  was  gazing  out  across  the  wa- 
ter, and  did  not  seem  to  notice  the  other's  peculiar 
emphasis. 

Again  they  sat  silent  as  three  or  four  persons, 
passing,  paused  to  peer  in  at  the  window  of  the  wire- 
less-house. 

"  Are  you  sure  the  French  do  not  suspect?  "  asked 
the  younger  man,  when  they  had  gone. 

"How  could  they?" 

"  The  inventor  must  have  left  some  trace  —  that 
wireless  station  in  the  grove." 

"  A  small  affair,  well  hidden.     Even  if  it  is  dis- 


i8o  THE  DESTROYER 

covered,  it  cannot  possibly  be  connected  with  the 
disaster." 

"Perhaps  not.     But  the  other  installation?'* 

"  The  other  installation  was  brought  away  by  the 
inventor.  He  left  nothing  behind  except  some  bat- 
teries, which  can  betray  no  secret." 

"  And  he  has  the  mechanism  with  him  now?  " 

"  Yes  —  in  his  baggage.  You  see  how  complete 
our  power  is."  , 

"  I  see,"  nodded  the  other  briefly.  "  You  have 
arranged  a  conference  with  him?" 

"  I  will  do  so.     There  is  plenty  of  time." 

"  Why  do  we  go  to  America?  " 

"  It  is  a  whim  of  his  —  that  this  great  treaty 
should  be  signed  there.  We  had  to  humour  him,  or 
he  might  have  grown  suspicious.  I  think  he  is  a 
little  mad." 

Again  there  was  a  moment's  silence.  Then  the 
older  nian  threw  away  his  cigarette  and  rose. 

"  The  wireless  man  is  an  old  protege  of  mine," 
he  said.  *'  I  spent  a  very  pleasant  hour  with  him 
last  night.  If  you  do  not  object,  I  will  go  in  again 
to  see  him." 

The  other  nodded,  and  Pachmann  opened  the 
door, of  the  wireless-house  and  disappeared  inside. 
His  companion  lighted  another  cigarette  and  smoked 
it  gloomily,  as  his  thoughts  reverted  to  his  own  af- 
fairs.    It  was  flattering,  of  course,  that  he  should 


IN  THE  WIRELESS  HOUSE         i8i 

have  been  selected  to  accompany  Pachmann  on  this 
mission ;  but,  nevertheless,  he  regretted  Berlin  —  or, 
rather,  he  regretted  a  certain  blue-eyed,  flaxen-haired 
girl,  with  a  figure  like  Juno's.  .  .  .  Confound  itl 
It  was  only  to  separate  him  from  her  that  he  had 
been  sent  with  Pachmann !  Why  couldn't  his  father 
leave  him  alone!  He  was  old  enough  to  manage 
his  own  affairs !     And  besides  .  .  . 

The  door  of  the  wireless-house  opened  and  Pach- 
mann appeared.  Very  quietly  he  closed  the  door, 
very  quietly  he  sat  down  beside  his  companion. 
And  then  he  mopped  a  shining  forehead  with  a  hand 
that  trembled  visibly,  and  the  younger  man  saw  with 
astonishment  that  his  face  was  livid. 

"What  is  It?     What  has  happened?**  he  asked. 

Pachmann  tried  twice  before  he  found  his  voice. 
When  he  did  speak.  It  was  In  a  hoarse  whisper. 

"  I  was  wrong,"  he  said.  "  France  does  sus- 
pect I" 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  MESSAGE 

A  LITTLE  group  of  laughing  young  women  came 
scurrying  up  the  ladder  from  the  promenade,  and 
the  Admiral  and  his  companion  sat  stonily  silent  until 
they  had  passed.  Then  the  Admiral  spoke  again, 
still  in  a  whisper,  but  his  voice  was  under  control. 

*'  The  most  astounding  thing  has  happened,"  he 
said.  *'  I  cannot  understand  it.  The  operator  in 
there  has  just  received  a  message  from  Cherbourg, 
asking  if  there  is  not  on  board,  in  stateroom  514,  a 
man  named  Ignace  Vard,  accompanied  by  his  daugh- 
ter. It  is  signed  by  Lepine,  chief  of  the  French  se- 
cret service.'' 

The  younger  man  drew  a  quick,  sibilant  breath, 
and  his  face,  too,  turned  pale  beneath  the  tan. 

*'  But  how  could  he  know?  ''  he  gasped.  "  How 
could  he  suspect?  " 

"  Lepine  is  the  very  devil !  "  growled  the  other. 
**  Perhaps  it  was  that  wireless  installation,  as  you  sug- 
gested." 

"  But  that  could  not  betray  the  man's  name  —  the 
boat  —  even  his  stateroom !  " 

"No;  I  cannot  understand  it,"  and  Pachmann 
182 


THE  MESSAGE  183 

mopped  his  face  again.  Then  he  thrust  his  hand- 
kerchief back  into  his  pocket  and  sprang  to  his  feet. 
"  However  it  occurred,  we  must  stop  it/'  he  said. 
"  Come.^' 

"Stop  it  — but  how?" 

"  There  is  only  one  way.     Come !  " 

The  Admiral  hurried  down  the  ladder,  his  com- 
panion at  his  heels.  From  the  upper  promenade  he 
descended  to  the  deck  below,  and  then,  without  hesi- 
tating, climbed  another  ladder  and  stepped  over  a 
low  gate  which  gave  entrance  to  the  first-class  prom- 
enade. The  gate,  it  is  true,  bore  a  sign  stating  that 
second-class  passengers  must  not  pass  it;  but  Pach- 
mann  did  not  even  glance  at  it.  He  seemed  to  know 
the  ship,  for  he  pressed  on,  disregarding  the  curious 
glances  cast  at  himself  and  his  companion,  mounted 
again  to  the  boat-deck,  and  did  not  pause  until  he 
had  reached  its  extreme  forward  end,  just  under  the 
bridge.  There  he  stopped  at  a  door  just  abaft 
the  ladder/  leading  to  the  bridge  and  knocked 
sharply. 

"Enter I"  cried  a  voice,  and  the  younger  man, 
following  the  Admiral,  found  himself  in  a  large  and 
handsome  stateroom,  whose  windows  looked  straight 
forward  over  the  bow.  At  the  desk  a  bearded  man 
of  middle-age  was  glancing  through  some  papers. 
He  looked  up  at  the  intruders  with  evident  astonish- 
ment.    •'  Really,   gentlemen,"   he   began,   and  then 


1 84  THE  DESTROYER 

he  stopped,  his  gaze  shifting  from  one  face  to  the 
other  and  back  again  in  frank  bewilderment. 

"  Captain  Hausmann,"  said  the  Admiral,  stepping 
forward,  "  probably  you  do  not  remember  me,  since 
we  have  met  but  once.  But  I  think  you  know  the 
Prince.'' 

Captain  Hausmann's  eyes  widened,  and  he  sprang 
quickly  to  his  feet,  his  hand  at  the  visor  of  his  cap. 

"  Your  Highness,"  he  began,  but  the  Prince 
stopped  him. 

"  I  am  not  a  Highness  at  present,  Captain,"  he 
said,  laughing;  "  only  a  humble  passenger  of  the  sec- 
ond class.  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  again,"  and, 
holding  out  his  hand,  he  gave  that  of  the  astonished 
mariner  a  hearty  clasp. 

"A  passenger  of  the  second  class!"  stammered 
the  Captain.     "But  I  do  not  understand!" 

"  It  is  not  necessary  that  you  should,"  said  the 
Admiral,  curtly,  and  at  the  words,  the  Captain  red- 
dened a  little. 

"  Ah,  now  I  know  you,"  he  said,  quietly.  *'  Ad- 
miral Pachmann,"  and  again  he  saluted. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Admiral,  acknowledging  the  sa- 
lute. .  "  We  had  not  intended  to  betray,  even  to  you, 
our  presence  on  board,  but  an  unforeseen  circum- 
stance has  made  it  necessary.  No  one  else,  of 
course,  must  suspect  it.  All  that  you  need  to  know 
—  indeed,  all  that  we  are  permitted  to  tell  you  —  is 


THE  MESSAGE  185 

that  His  Highness  and  myself  are  at  this  moment 
engaged  upon  an  affair  of  state  of  the  first  impor- 
tance.    Here  are  my  credentials." 

He  took  from  an  inner  pocket  a  long  leather 
pocket-book,  extracted  from  it  a  heavy  envelope 
sealed  with  a  great  black  seal,  and  passed  it  to  the 
Captain. 

The  latter  took  it,  glanced  at  the  seal  and  hesi- 
tated, for  it  bore  the  Imperial  crown. 

"Do  you  intend  that  I  should  open  this?''  he 
asked. 

"  I  wish'  you  to  do  so,"  answered  Pachmann. 

With  fingers  that  trembled  a  little,  the  Captain 
loosened  the  seal,  lifted  the  flap,  and  drew  out  the 
sheet  of  paper  which  lay  within.  It  was  an  ivory- 
finished  white,  almost  as  stiff  as  a  card,  the  entire 
upper  left  quarter  occupied  by  the  Imperial  crown 
and  monogram,  the  other  three  quarters  covered  by 
writing  in  a  large  and  rather  stiff  hand,  with  a 
scrawling  signature  at  the  bottom.  The  Captain 
glanced  at  this  signature,  then,  his  face  very  grave, 
read  the  missive  slowly  and  carefully.  Finally  he 
returned  the  sheet  to  its  envelope,  and  handed  it 
hack  to  Pachmann,  his  eyes  meeting  the  Admiral's 
with  a  kind  of  awed  wonder. 

*'  I  am  at  your  service,"  he  said.  "  Will 
you  .  .   ." 

There  was  a  tap  at  the  door.     Tlie  Captain  went 


i86  THE  DESTROYER 

to  it  and  opened  it,  standing  so  that  his  body  filled 
the  doorway.  He  exchanged  a  word  with  some  one, 
and  then  closed  the  door  and  turned  back  into  the 
room,  a  sheaf  of  papers  in  his  hand. 

"  Will  you  not  sit  down?  "  he  asked. 

"  We  shall  be  but  a  moment,"  said  Pachmann. 
"  That  was  the  wireless  man,  was  it  not?  " 

"  Yes."  ^ 

"  Among  the  messages  you  have  in  your  hand  is 
one  from  Lepine,  Prefect  of  the  Paris  Service  du 
Surete.  He  asks  whether  you  have  aboard  in  state- 
room 514  a  man  named  Ignace  Vard,  accompanied 
by  his  daughter." 

Captain  Hausmann,  with  an  admirable  composure, 
glanced  through  the  messages. 

"Yes;  here  it  is,"  he  said. 

"  I  will  dictate  the  answer,"  said  the  Admiral. 

Without  a  word,  the  Captain  sat  down  again  at 
his  desk  and  wrote  to  Pachmann's  dictation: 

"  Lepine,  Paris. 

"  No  record  of  Ignace  Vard  and  daughter  on  Ottilie, 
Stateroom  514  unoccupied. 

>"  Hausmann,  Captain." 

"  It  would  be  well  to  have  the  message  sent  at 
once,"  added  Pachmann.  "  You  will  also  see  that 
the  name  of  Vard  and  his  daughter  do  not  appear 
on  your  passenger  list,   and  that  they  are  moved 


THE  MESSAGE  187 

from  the  stateroom  they  now  occupy  to  some  other 
one.  The  records  for  the  voyage  must  show  that 
that  room  was  indeed  unoccupied.  You  will  also 
instruct  the  purser  that  the  tickets  surrendered  by 
Vard  and  his  daughter  are  not  to  be  turned  in,  but, 
In  case  of  Inquiry,  to  be  reported  unused." 

The  Captain  had  listened  carefully. 

"  On  what  pretext  will  I  move  these  people?  *'  he 
asked. 

**  The  pretext  must  be  found.'* 

The  Captain  stroked  his  beard  with  a  troubled  air. 

"  I  fear  there  is  no  second-cabin  room  empty  — 
we  are  very  crowded.  Would  It  matter  if  I  brought 
them  forward?  '' 

Pachmann  pondered  a  moment. 

"  No,"  he  said  at  last.  "  On  the  whole,  that 
might  be  better.  You  will  enter  them  on  your  pas- 
senger list  by  some  other  name  —  or,  better  still, 
omit  them  altogether." 

**  But  the  immigration  authorities!  "  protested  the 
Captain.     **  You  have  forgotten  them !  " 

"  We  will  think  of  them  at  the  proper  time,"  said 
Pachmann,  impatiently.  **  This  is  not  the  moment 
to  make  objections.     I  think  you  understand?  ", 

Hausmann  bowed. 

**  We  will  say  good-bye,  then,  for  the  present," 
added  the  Admiral,  with  a  touch  of  irony.  "We 
shall,  perhaps,  be  forced  again  to  call  upon  you." 


i88  THE  DESTROYER 

A  second  time  Hausmann  bowed. 

When  Miss  Vard  entered  her  stateroom,  that  day, 
to  brush  her  hair  before  going  to  lunch,  her  nostrils 
were  assaulted  by  a  most  unpleasant  odour,  and, 
when  a  cursory  inspection  of  the  room  failed  to  dis- 
close its  cause,  she  summoned  the  steward  and  asked 
him  to  investigate.  An  hour  later,  a  white-capped 
official  approached  Mr.  Vard,  who  was  looking 
vainly  through  the  collection  of  books  in  the  library 
for  something  he  cared  to  read,  and  informed  him, 
with  many  apologies,  that  it  would  be  necessary  for 
him  to  change  his  stateroom.  Just  what  was  wrong 
with  No.  514  it  was  impossible  to  say;  but  it  could 
not  be  denied  that  there  was  a  bad  odour  there, 
whose  source  had  not  been  discovered,  and  the 
only  alternative  seemed  to  be  to  shut  it  up  until 
the  end  of  the  voyage  and  then  to  overhaul  it  thor- 
oughly. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Vard.  "  I  have  no  objection 
to  changing.  But  I  cannot  understand  how  a  cubicle 
with  floor,  ceiling  and  walls  of  steel,  could  so  sud- 
denly become  insanitary." 

"  It  is  a  mystery  to  us  also,  sir,  and  one  which 
we  shall  look  into  very  thoroughly.  We  regret  it 
extremely." 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Vard,  somewhat  astonished 
that  ^o  much  should  be  made  of  the  matter.     "  Have 


THE  MESSAGE  189 

the  steward  change  our  baggage  to  the  new  quar- 
ters, and  then  come  and  show  me  where  they  are, 
and  let  us  forget  all  about  it." 

**  It  is  most  kind  of  you  to  take  it  so  good-na- 
turedly,'* protested  the  officer.  "  The  embarrassing 
thing  to  us  is  that,  as  there  is  no  vacant  stateroom 
in  the  second-cabin,  we  shall  have  to  transfer  you  to 
the  first." 

Vard  looked  at  him. 

**  And  you  expect  me  to  pay  the  difference  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"Oh,  no;  not  at  all,"  the  other  hastily  assured 
him.  "  We  had  not  thought  of  such  a  thing !  But 
we  feared  you  might  have  some  objection  to  first- 
class,  and  that  the  change  would  inconvenience  you 
still  more.'* 

Vard  smiled  grimly. 

**  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  hcwe  an  objection  to  first- 
dass,"  he  said,  "  but  it  is  largely  that  of  wasting 
money  for  which  I  have  a  better  use.  The  people 
one  sees  there  also  do  not  appeal  to  me.  I  fear 
most  of  them  are  idle  fools.  But  peirhaps  the  li- 
brary is  better  selected." 

**  Oh,  it  is  much  larger  than  this  I"  the  officer 
agreed.     **  I  may  take  it,  then,  that  you  consent?" 

**  Certainly.  We  can't  stay  in  a  stateroom  that 
smells  as  ours  does." 

"  Then,"  said  the  other,  "  if  you  will  inform  your 


190  THE  DESTROYER 

daughter,  I  will  myself  conduct  you  to  your  new 
quarters.'* 

So  Miss  Vard  was  summoned,  their  steward  was 
loaded  with  the  baggage,  and  after  a  glance  around 
No.  514  to  assure  herself  that  nothing  had  been 
overlooked.  Miss  Vard  found  herself  following  her 
father  and  the  white-capped  German  along  a  narrow 
passage,  past  a  steel  door  that  was  unlocked  for 
them,  and  up  the  companion-way  to  a  very  handsome 
suite  opening  on  the  upper  promenade.  It  consisted 
of  two  bedrooms  md  a  sitting-room,  and  Kasia,  as 
she  glanced  about  it,  could  not  repress  an  exclama- 
tion of  surprise. 

"  Are  we  to  stay  here  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes,  Madame,"  and  the  official  smiled.  "  It  is 
the  only  thing  we  have  to  offer.  I  am  glad  that  it 
pleases  you.  It  will  help  you  to  forget  the  incon- 
venience of  changing,''  and,  having  waited  until  the 
steward  had  deposited  his  burden,  he  motioned  him 
out  before  him,  bowed  and  withdrew. 

Kasia  made  a  quick  tour  of  the  room,  admiring 
its  elegant  furnishings,  glanced  into  the  bedrooms, 
and  then  came  back  to  her  father. 

"I  don't  understand  it!"  she  said.  *' Why 
should  they  give  us  all  this?  " 

Her  father  regarded  her  in  some  surprise. 

"  Why,  my  dear,"  he  said,  "  you  have  heard  the 
explanation.     I  do  not  for  a  moment  imagine  that 


THE  MESSAGE  191 

the  steamship  company  would  have  been  so  generous 
if  there  had  been  any  way  to  avoid  it!  " 

"  No,  I  suppose  not!  "  Kasia  agreed,  and  set  her- 
self to  arrange  their  belongings  —  it  was  almost  like 
fitting  up  a  flat!  "This  suit-case  is  very  heavy, 
father,''  she  added,  after  a  moment.  **  Will  you  put 
it  in  your  room?  " 

"  Of  course,"  and  Vard  lifted  it,  started  for  the 
bedroom,  and  then  turned  and  placed  it  on  the  little 
table  which  stood  between  the  windows.  "  I  will 
have  a  look  at  it,  first,''  he  said,  loosened  the  straps, 
took  a  key  from  a  flapped  compartment  of  his 
pocket-book  and  put  it  in  the  lock.  **  One  would 
scarcely  believe,  Kasia,"  he  added,  with  a  smile, 
"  that  this  little  bag  contains  the  destiny  of  the 
world!" 

"  No,"  she  said,  and  came  and  stood  beside  him, 
one  arm  about  him,  her  head  against  his  shoulder. 

He  turned  the  key  and  raised  the  lid.  Then  he 
put  aside  some  articles  of  clothing  and  lifted  from 
beneath  them  an  oblong  box,  open  at  the  ends.  One 
saw,  on  looking  closer,  that  the  sides  of  the  box  were 
of  glass,  partially  covered  on  both  sides  with  tin-foil; 
and  peering  in  at  the  open  end,  one  perceived  a 
vague  maze  of  wires  and  pinions. 

Vard  gazed  at  it  for  some  moments  without  speak- 
ing. 

"  There  it  is,  Kasia,"  he  said,  at  last,  **  the  won- 


192  THE  DESTROYER 

der-worker,  which,  properly  tuned  and  connected 
with  its  batteries,  generates  a  force  which  puts  an 
end  to  armies  and  to  fleets.  With  it  in  the  world, 
there  can  be  no  more  war  —  and  if  there  is  no  more 
war,  there  is  the  end  of  kings  and  tyrants.  It  is  a 
great  thought,  is  it  not,  my  daughter?  " 

*' A  great  thought!''  she  echoed,  but  her  voice 
was  shaking,  and  she  shivered  a  little  and  drew 
closer  to  him.  "  And  yet,  father,  think  what  an  aw- 
ful force  it  would  be  if  it  fell  into  unscrupulous 
hands!  It  Is  that  which  makes  me  tremble  some- 
times !  " 

''  You  do  not  fear  me,  Kasia?  "  he  asked  reproach- 
fully. 

"  No,  father;  of  course  not! '' 

He  replaced  the  mechanism,  covered  it  carefully 
with  clothing,  closed  the  lid,  locked  it,  and  returned 
the  key  to  his  pocket.  Then  he  carried  the  bag  to 
his  bedroom  and  slipped  it  under  the  bed.  At  last 
he  came  back  to  his  daughter. 

"  I  will  not  deny,  Kasia,"  he  said,  "  that  I  have 
been  tempted,  more  than  once.  Not  by  the  prospect 
of  wealth  or  power  —  those  cannot  tempt  me ;  but 
by  the  thought  that,  after  subduing  the  world,  I 
might  '  re-mould  it  nearer  to  the  heart's  desire.' 
And  yet  how  vain  to  fancy  that  I  or  any  man  pos- 
sesses the  wisdom  to  do  that!  No;  that  cannot  be. 
Each  nation  must  shape  its  own  destiny,  as  friends 


THE  MESSAGE  193 

and  brothers.  ^  It  is  for  me  to  strike  the  swords  from 
their  hands!  " 

But  still  Kasia  trembled  and  a  shadow  lay  across 
her  face. 

'*  What  Is  it  you  fear?  "  her  father  asked,  looking 
at  her. 

"  It  seems  too  great  a  destiny !  '^  she  answered, 
with  quiv^ering  lips.  "  There  Is  so  great  a  risk  I 
Suppose  some  one  should  steal  that  instrument  .  .  ." 

**  That  would  do  no  harm.  I  can  make  another 
—  a  hundred  others !  That  Is  my  purpose.  The 
whole  world  must  know  of  it  —  must  possess  it. 
Every  nation  must  know  that,  the  instant  it  marches 
to  war,  it  risks  annihilation.     I  see  no  danger  there." 

*'  But  suppose,"  KasIa  persisted,  "  that  the  man 
who  stole  it  should  kill  you  —  what  then?  Oh,  I 
have  thought  of  it,  father,  so  much,  so  closely,  all 
through  the  night!     We  must  run  no  risk  like  that." 

Vard  took  a  rapid  turn  up  and  down  the  room. 
He  was  deeply  perturbed.  At  last  he  paused  beside 
her. 

"  You  are  right,  KasIa,"  he  said.  "  I  do  not  be- 
lieve there  is  any  danger  —  and  yet  we  must  run  no 
risk  like  that !     Well,  It  Is  easy  to  avoid  it !     Wait !  " 

He  disappeared  into  his  bedroom,  and  KasIa 
heard  him  pulling  out  the  bag  and  opening  it.  Then 
the  lock  snapped  again,  the  bag  was  pushed  back 
under  the  bed,  and  her  father  rejoined  her.     He 


194  THE  DESTROYER 

held  in  his  hand  a  little  case  of  polished  steel. 
Within  it  were  three  filament-like  wires  wound  pe- 
culiarly around  a  series  of  tiny  pins. 

"  Here  it  is,"  he  said,  "  the  very  heart  of  the 
mechanism.  Without  this  it  is  useless.  Without 
this,  it  is  merely  a  transformer.  It  can  do  no  one 
any  harm  —  can  betray  no  secret." 

Kasia  took  the  little  box  and  looked  at  it. 

**  Is  this  difficult  to  make,  father?"  she  asked. 

"  It  took  me  eight  years  to  make  that  one ;  but  I 
can  make  another  in  two  days,  or  perhaps  three." 

**  You  are  sure  of  that?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  and  he  smiled.  "  It  is  very  intricate, 
yet  very  simple  when  one  has  the  clue.  Every  con- 
volution of  those  filaments  is  photographed  on  my 
brain.  I  can  close  my  eyes  and  see  them  winding 
in  and  out." 

The  girl  hesitated,  the  little  box  still  in  her  hand. 

"  Then  it  would  be  safe  to  destroy  this?  "  she 
asked,  at  last. 

*'Safe?  Yes!  That  is  my  meaning!  Let  us 
destroy  it!  " 

Still  a  moment  she  paused,  then  she  closed  her 
hand. 

"Yes,"  she  agreed;  "let  us  destroy  it." 

Her  father  nodded  his  head  indifferently.  With 
him  the  moment  of  tension  had  passed. 

"  Drop  it  into  the  sea,"  he  said.     "  That  will  end 


THE  MESSAGE  195 

it.     Now,  I  think,  I  shall  go  and  examine  the  books 
in  the  library/* 

He  went  out  and  closed  the  door;  but  Kasia  stood 
for  a  long  time  without  moving,  staring  at  the  little 
box  of  polished  metal.  After  all,  If  he  could  not 
reproduce  it;  if  there  should  be  some  convolution  he 
had  missed,  some  accidental  conjunction  he  was  not 
aware  of!  If  to  destroy  it  now  would  be  to  destroy 
It  forever  I  Better  that,  of  course,  than  run  the 
other  risk!  But  was  there  ho  other  way?  Per- 
haps, perhaps  .  .  . 


CHAPTER  XV 

A  WORD  OF  WARNING 

Wherefore  it  happened  that  Dan  Webster,  search- 
ing promenade  and  saloon  and  library,  that  after- 
noon, mounting  to  the  boat-deck,  descending  to  the 
lower  deck,  peeping  into  every  nook  and  corner 
where  passengers  of  the  second-class  were  permitted 
to  penetrate,  looked  in  vain  for  Kasia  Vard.  Nor 
was  her  father  anywhere  to  be  seen.  At  last,  per- 
ceiving the  curious  glances  shot  in  his  direction,  and 
having  stumbled  for  the  third  time  over  the  same 
outstretched  pair  of  feet,  he  mounted  gloomily  to 
the  boat-deck  and  sat  down  to  think  it  out. 

The  weather  continued  fine  and  the  sea  smooth,  so 
that  it  was  absurd  to  suppose  that  either  of  them  was 
ill;  and  that  they  should  keep  to  their  stateroom  on 
such  an  afternoon  for  any  other  reason,  or  even  for 
that  one,  was  more  absurd  still.  Perhaps,  if  they 
were  working  .  .  . 

The  thought  brought  him  sudden  relief.  That 
explained  it !  They  had  some  work  they  were  doing 
together.  Perhaps  Kasia  acted  as  her  father's  sec- 
retary, and  even  now  was  writing  to  his  dictation. 

196 


A  WORD  OF  WARNING  197 

She  had  said  that  he  was  engaged  in  some  gigantic 
project,  the  nature  of  which  Dan  understood  but 
dimly — a  plan  for  the  disarmament  of  the  world, 
or  something  like  that.  As  he  remembered  them 
here  in  the  cold  light  of  day,  her  words  of  the  night 
before  seemed  more  than  a  little  fantastic;  but  per- 
haps he  had  not  understood,  or  perhaps  she  had 
spoken  figuratively.  **  The  nations  of  the  world  in 
the  hollow  of  his  hand  " —  that,  of  course,  was  fig- 
urative. And,  equally  of  course.  Yard's  plan  would 
come  to  nothing.  But  it  would  be  interesting  to 
know  more  of  it. 

He  must  have  a  talk  with  Vard  before  the  voyage 
ended.  A  story  like  that  would  make  good  copy, 
and  a  little  newspaper  propaganda  would  help  the 
thing  along.  Meanwhile,  there  was  nothing  to  do 
but  wait  until  Miss  Vard  should  choose  to  reappear. 
He  cast  his  mind  back  over  the  story  she  had  told 
him  —  ye  gods  I  what  a  feature  that  would  make, 
told  just  as  she  had  told  it,  simply  and  earnestly  and 
without  embellishment.  Perhaps  he  could  persuade 
her  to  write  it  for  the  Record.  He  could  picture  the 
shining  face  of  Craftsman,  the  Sunday  editor,  as  he 
read  it  I 

Some  one,  crossing  the  deck  unperceived  by  him, 
sat  down  beside  him.  He  turned  quickly;  but  it  was 
only  Chevrial. 

"  Ah,  M.  Webster,"  said  the  Frenchman,  smiling, 


198  THE  DESTROYER 

**  you  were  among  the  day  dreams ;  and  they  were 
not  of  me.  That  is  apparent  from  the  look  with 
which  you  regard  me !  " 

Dan  flushed  a  little,  and  then  he  laughed.  There 
was  no  resisting  Chevrial's  genial  humour. 

"No,"  he  admitted;  "they  were  of  some  one 
quite  different." 

"  Nevertheless,  until  that  *  some  one  '  appears,  I 
trust  that  I  am  welcome?  " 

"  Indeed  you  are.     Tm  glad  you  came !  " 

Dan  spoke  warmly,  and  his  companion,  with  a  lit- 
tle satisfied  nod,  settled  back  into  the  seat.  They 
had  seen  very  little  of  each  other  since  the  moment 
of  meeting.  Dan  had  gone  to  bed  the  previous 
night  before  his  room-mate  appeared,  and  had  not 
even  heard  him  come  in.  This  morning,  when  he 
arose,  Chevrial  was  sleeping  calmly,  and  Dan  had 
gathered  his  clothes  together  as  noiselessly  as  he 
could  and  stolen  away  to  the  bathroom.  They  had 
passed  each  other  once  or  twice  on  the  promenade, 
and  had  nodded  but  had  not  spoken  —  and  then  Dan 
remembered  suddenly  the  flare  of  light  from  the 
near-by  bench  the  night  before,  as  he  and  Kasia  rose 
to  go  below.  Chevrial  smiled  again  as  he  met  his 
glance. 

"  You  are  thinking  of  last  night? "  he  said. 
"  Yes  ?  It  is  concerning  that  I  wish  first  to  speak 
to  you.     When  I  sat  down  yonder  I  was  not  con- 


A  WORD  OF  WARNING  199 

scious  that  this  bench  was  occupied.  You  and  the 
young  lady  were  speaking  in  very  low  tones,  and 
the  bench  itself  was  in  shadow.  It  was  only  when 
she  raised  her  voice  that  I  realised  I  was  hearing 
what  was  not  intended  for  me.  I  was  just  about  to 
go,  when  she  stopped  abruptly,  and  a  moment  later 
you  went  down  together.  It  was  then  that  you  no- 
ticed me.  I  struck  the  match  In  order  that  you 
might  see  that  it  was  I,  and  so  have  no  uneasiness.'' 

Dan  stared  at  his  companion  In  astonishment. 

"Uneasiness?"  he  repeated.  "But  why  should 
I  have  any  uneasiness  ?  " 

"  Not  on  your  own  account,  of  course,  but  on  the 
young  lady's  account." 

"  But  I  don't  see  why,  even  for  her,  I  should  be 
uneasy,"  said  Dan  perplexedly. 

"  My  dear  sir,"  and  Chevrlal  dropped  his  voice 
and  spoke  very  earnestly,  "  there  are  always  spies  on 
these  big  boats  —  this  is  a  most  productive  field  for 
them  —  German  spies,  French  spies,  English  spies, 
listening  to  each  word,  watching  each  gesture.  Sup- 
pose one  of  them  had  chanced  to  hear  what  I 
did  .  .  ." 

Dan  stared  a  moment  longer,  then  he  burst  into  a 
laugh. 

**  Oh,  come,  M.  Chevrlal,"  he  protested.  **  You 
don't  really  believe  that  I  " 

"Believe  what?" 


200  THE  DESTROYER 

"  About  the  spies.'* 

Chevriars  face  grew  a  little  grim. 

"  I  am  not  one  to  offer  advice  where  it  is  not  de* 
sired,"  he  said;  "  but  I  assure  you,  M.  Webster,  that 
what  I  have  told  you  is  true,  and  furthermore  had 
any  one  of  three  or  four  persons  who  are  on  this 
boat  heard  what  I  heard,  that  girl  and  her  father 
would  have  been  under  espionage  for  the  remainder 
of  their  lives." 

It  was  easy  to  see  that  Chevrial  spoke  in  deadly 
earnest,  and,  in  spite  of  himself,  Dan  was  impressed 
and  sobered. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  said;  "  perhaps  you  are 
right;  but  to  an  American  the  very  idea  of  such  a 
system  is  laughable  —  it  savours  too  much  of  cheap 
melodrama.  But  why  should  the  story  Miss  Vard 
told  me  interest  any  one?  " 

"  My  dear  sir,"  answered  Chevrial,  drily,  "  when 
a  girl  goes  about  boasting  that  her  father  is  more 
powerful  than  the  Czar  or  Kaiser!  Suppose  she 
had  stopped  there,  any  hearer  would  have  concluded 
that  he  was  an  anarchist,  and  therefore  to  be 
watched.  But  she  went  further:  she  asserted  that 
he  can  blow  up  forts  and  destroy  armies !  That  he 
can  wreck  battleships  I  Why,  M.  Webster,  it  is 
only  four  days  since  La  Liberie,  the  greatest  of 
French  battleships,  was  destroyed  in  the  harbour  of 
Tpulon  by  an  agency  not  yet  determined !  " 


A  WORD  OF  WARNING  201 

Dan  had  turned  a  little  pale. 

**  But  you  don't  imagine,"  he  stammered;  ''  surely 
you  don't  think  .   .  ." 

Chevrial  flipped  away  his  cigarette-ash  negligently. 

"  Tliat  La  Liberie  was  destroyed  by  this  man? 
Absurd !  But,  neverthelesSj  it  is  a  bad  time  to  make 
such  boasts." 

"  I  can  see  that,"  agreed  Dan.  "  I  will  speak  to 
Miss  Vard." 

"  I  would  do  so,  by  all  means.  She  seems  a  most 
interesting  girl,  and  I  should  regret  to  see  her  in- 
volved in  an  unpleasant  situation.  Or  her  father," 
Chevria!  added.     "  A  most  interesting  enthusiast !  " 

"  You  have  talked  with  him?  " 

'*  Oh,  yes;  last  night  for  some  time.  He  has 
great  ideas  —  too  great,  I  fear,  to  be  practicable." 

"  Then  you  don't  believe  .  .  ." 

"  That  he  can  destroy  armies  and  all  that?  "  and 
Chevrial  laughed  lightly.  "  My  dear  M.  Webster, 
do  you?'* 

'*  No,"  said  Dan,  slowly,  **  I  don't  suppose  I  do. 
It's  too  much  to  believe  —  without  proof!  " 

**  Assuredly,"  agreed  his  companion;  "no  one 
would  believe  it  without  proof  —  absolute  proof." 
Then  he  leaned  closer.  "  To  me  he  made  no  such 
absurd  claim,  but  from  the  way  he  talked  —  from 
his  grandiose  ideas,  his  strange  philosophy,  his  fabu- 
lous hopes   for  humanity  —  I   formed  the  opinion 


202  THE  DESTROYER 

that  the  man  Is  mad  —  not  wholly  mad,  you  under- 
stand, but  touched,  in  one  corner  of  the  brain,  by  a 
wild  hallucination.  His  daughter,  naturally,  believes 
in  him.  She  is  a  most  attractive  girl.  Polish 
women  are  always  attractive,  at  least  when  they  are 
young.  There  is,  in  their  faces,  in  their  eyes,  an 
appearance  of  tragedy,  of  mystery,  which  piques  the 
imagination.  And  they  are  all  great  patriots  —  it 
is  born  in  the  blood  —  oh,  far  greater  patriots  than 
the  men.  I  have  travelled  in  Poland,"  he  added, 
seeing  Dan^s  glance ;  "  my  business  sometimes  calls 
me  there." 

"  And  is  there  really  such  oppression  as  Miss  Vard 
described?" 

"  I  do  not  know  what  she  told  you  —  it  was  only 
at  the  end  she  raised  her  voice;  but  she  could  not 
exaggerate  the  sufferings  of  her  people.  They  are 
little  better  than  slaves.  All  careers  are  closed  to 
them,  and  over  them  constantly  is  the  shadow  of  Si- 
beria." 

"You  mean  they  are  banished  sometimes?" 

"  They  are  banished  often  —  for  one  year,  two 
years,  three  years.  And  they  are  compelled  to  walk 
to  and  from  the  place  of  banishment.  It  takes  a 
year  sometimes.  I  knew  a  man  who  returned  home 
one  day  to  find  a  Cossack  attacking  his  daughter. 
There  was  a  struggle,  and  the  Cossack  shot  the  man 
In  the  leg.     The  wound  festered  and  the  leg  was 


A  WORD  OF  WARNING  203 

amputated;  then  the  man  was  sentenced  to  the  mines 
atYakutsk.It  was  I  know  not  how  many  thousand 
miles  —  it  took  him  two  years  to  walk  there  on  his 
wooden  leg  —  walking,  walking  every  day/' 

Dan  felt  a  strange  weakness  running  through  his 
veins. 

**  But  is  there  no  way  to  put  an  end  to  such 
diings?"  he  asked. 

Chevrial  rolled  himself  another  cigarette. 

"  Poland  has  no  friends,"  he  answered.  "  She 
has  been  forgotten.  The  Poles  themselves  have 
come  to  be  regarded  as  fools,  as  charlatans,  as  irre- 
^onsible  children.  France  was  supposed  to  be  the 
friend  of  Poland;  Napoleon  promised  to  reconstitute 
her,  and  the  Poles  fought  by  thousands  in  his  armies 
and  won  many  victories  for  him.  Then  came  the 
campaign  of  Russia  and  ended  all  that.  To-day, 
Poland  is  remembered  in  France  only  by  a  proverb, 
*  Saoul  comme  un  Polonais/  *  Drunk  as  a  Pole.'  It 
is  so  we  think  of  them,  when  we  think  of  them  at  all, 
which  is  not  often.  This  disdain,  this  forgetfulness, 
has  been  carefully  fostered  by  Germany  and  Russia. 
No  one  thinks  it  worth  while  to  interfere.  Besides, 
Poland's  lot  is  that  of  every  conquered  country.  In 
Alsace-Lorraine  it  is  just  the  same." 

*' Oh,  surely  notl  "  Dan  protested.  "Germany, 
at  least,  has  no  Siberia!  " 

**  No,  she  has  no  Siberia,"  Chevrial  agreed,  "  but 


204  THE  DESTROYER 

neither  has  she  a  sense  of  humour,  and  that  is  worse  I 
The  very  worst  trait  in  a  conqueror,  M.  Webster, 
believe  me,  is  an  absence  of  the  sense  of  humour  I 
And  Germany  has  the  strongest  prisons  in  the  world. 
Her  system  of  espial  is  even  more  minute  and  irri- 
tating than  that  of  Russia.  As  in  Poland,  the  people 
of  Alsace  and  Lorraine  may  not  speak  their  native 
tongue  nor  study  the  history  of  their  fatherland. 
Nothing  escapes  suspicion.  It  is  reported  that  at  a 
certain  cafe  the  accounts  are  kept  in  French;  the 
cafe  is  thereupon  visited,  the  books  confiscated,  and 
a  fine  imposed.  A  certain  gentleman  goes  to  Nancy 
on  the  fourteenth  of  July,  which  happens  to  be  the 
date  of  the  French  national  fete;  he  is  reported  as 
suspect  and  his  premises  are  visited  and  searched. 
The  police,  passing  the  house  of  a  notary  one  even- 
ing, hear  some  one  singing  the  Marseillaise;  they 
demand  admittance  and  arrest  the  notary,  although 
it  was  a  phonograph  which  had  been  singing  the 
song.     This  is  adjudged  a  very  serious  case.'* 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me,"  Dan  demanded,  "  that 
such  things  actually  occur?" 

The  ghost  of  a  smile  flitted  across  ChevriaPs  lips. 

"  Not  those  precise  cases,  perhaps,"  he  said;  "  but 
cases  very  like  them  —  cases  not  a  whit  less  ridicu- 
lous. And  can  you  wonder  that  Germany  finds 
Alsace  and  Lorraine  restless?  Do  you  wonder  that 
pur  hearts  ache  for  our  compatriots?     Do  you  won- 


A  WORD  OF  WARNING  205 

der  that  we  dream  of  the  day  when  we  may  remove 
those  mourning  wreaths  from  the  statue  of  Stras- 
bourg in  the  Place  de  la  Concord?  " 

He  fell  silent  a  moment,  then  shrugged  his  shoul- 
ders resignedly. 

"  But  I  grow  too  serious,"  he  continued.  "  Per- 
haps, some  day,  Poland  will  be  freed,  Alsace-Lor- 
raine returned  to  France;  yes,''  and  here  he  glanced 
at  Dan  with  a  dry  smile,  "  and  the  people  of  the 
Philippines  given 'their  independence.  Indeed,  this 
M.  Vard  believes  that  day  to  be  close  at  hand.  Let 
us  hope  so.  Which  reminds  me  that  I  have  to-day 
seen  neither  him  nor  his  daughter." 

"  Nor  have  I,"  Dan  admitted.  "  I  thought  per- 
haps they  had  some  work  to  do,  and  so  had  not  come 
on  deck." 

*'  They  may  be  there  now,"  said  Chevrial,  and  led 
the  way  to  the  forward  end  of  the  boat-deck,  where, 
leaning  against  the  rail,  they  could  look  down  upon 
the  promenade  below. 

Every  one  was  on  deck,  walking  up  and  down, 
revelling  in  the  fresh  air,  with  its  tang  of  salt,  and 
in  the  soft  sunshine;  but,  though  Dan  and  Chevrial 
stood  for  some  time  looking  down,  neither  Miss  Vard 
nor  her  father  passed.  Then  Chevrial,  whose  at- 
tention had  wandered,  uttered  a  little  exclamation, 
and  caught  Dan  by  the  arm. 

"See  there!"  he  said. 


2o6  THE  DESTROYER 

He  was  pointing  forward  to  the  first-class  prom- 
enade, which  was  also  crowded,  and  Dan,  following 
the  direction  of  his  gesture,  saw,  amid  the  crowd,  a 
white-haired  man  and  dark-haired  girl  walking  side 
by  side,  deep  in  talk.  He  looked  again,  scarcely 
able  to  believe  his  eyes;  but  there  was  no  mistaking 
them  —  they  were  Miss  Vard  and  her  father. 

He  drew  a  deep  breath  of  wonder  and  perplexity. 
How  came  they  among  the  first-class  passengers? 
But  perhaps  they  had  merely  been  to  see  the  purser, 
and  were  now  on  their  way  back.  No;  they  had 
passed  the  gang-way.  In  another  moment,  they 
turned  back  along  the  other  side  of  the  promenade 
and  were  lost  to  sight. 

Only  then  did  Dan  look  up.  He  found  Chevrial 
smiling  sardonically. 

"  But  what  does  it  mean?  "  he  asked. 

Chevrial  pursed  his  lips. 

"  I  do  not  know,''  he  answered,  with  a  little  shrug, 
"  unless  some  one  beside  myself  heard  Miss  Yard's 
story,  last  night,  and  has  caused  her  to  be  placed 
where  she  may  be  more  easily  kept  under  surveillance. 
Oh,  there  was  some  story  trumped  up,  depend  upon 
it,  so  that  she  would  not  suspect.  No  doubt  she  will 
also  be  given  the  opportunity  to  make  certain  friends 
among  her  new  shipmates,  in  whom  she  may  also 
confide.  It  will  be  delicately  done;  oh,  so  deli- 
cately!" 


A  WORD  OF  WARNING  207 

It  might  have  occurred  to  Dan  that  M.  Chevrial 
seemed,  for  a  wine-merchant,  surprisingly  familiar 
with  affairs  of  state  and  the  methods  of  the  secret 
service;  but,  for  the  moment,  his  whole  mind  was 
concentrated  on  Miss  Yard's  danger. 

"  I  must  warn  her,''  he  breathed. 

"  I  believe  it  would  be  wise,"  said  Chevrial,  in  the 
same  tone.  **  She  should  make  friends  with  no  one 
—  confide  in  no  one.  Her  position  is  very  serious." 
And  then,  as  Dan  started  from  the  rail,  he  caught 
his  arm.  **  Not  now,"  he  said.  "  Wait  until  to- 
night. It  would  be  too  apparent  if  you  were  to  rush 
up  there  in  open  day.  And  before  you  do  speak, 
make  sure  that  there  is  no  one  within  twenty  feet 
of  you  —  and  then  speak  in  a  whisper!  " 

**  Thank  you,"  said  Dan;  "you  are  right,  of 
course."     And  he  went  slowly  back  to  the  bench. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

A  CHARGE  TO  KEEP 

When  Dan  Webster  took  his  seat  at  the  dinner 
table,  that  evening,  he  found  a  printed  copy  of  the 
passenger-list  beside  his  plate,  and  his  neighbours 
were  a-flutter  with  the  excitement  of  seeing  their 
names  in  type.  Dan,  turning  to  the  letter  V,  found 
that  the  names  of  Ignace  Vard  and  his  daughter  were 
not  there.  Doubtless  the  change  from  second-class 
to  first  was  responsible  for  the  omission,  and  yet,  at 
the  back  of  his  mind  was  a  vague  feeling  of  uneasi- 
ness which  he  was  wholly  unable  to  explain.  Chev- 
rlal  ha^  impressed  him,  and  yet  one  objection  to  that 
gentleman's  misgivings  seemed  to  him  unanswerable : 
if  the  Vards  had  been  changed  from  second-class  to 
first  with  any  ulterior  object,  the  authorities  in 
charge  of  the  ship  must  be  In  the  plot,  and  that  was 
manifestly  absurd. 

Yet  his  determination  to  seek  Miss  Vard  at  the 
first  moment  and  advise  her  to  be  cautious  did  not 
waver.  He  knew,  from  the  printed  announcements 
of  the  company,  that  the  first-cabin  dinner  was  not 
a  table-d'hote  served  at  a  fixed  hour,  as  in  the  sec- 
ond-cabin, but  an  a  la  carte  meal,  served  from  six 

2o8 


A  CHARGE  TO  KEEP  209 

to  nine,  as  at  a  fashionable  restaurant;  so  he  loitered 
restlessly  about  for  half  an  hour  after  he  left  the 
table;  then,  deciding  that  he  had  waited  long  enough, 
he  approached  the  ladder  which  led  to  the  first-class 
promenade.  But  a  uniformed  figure  which  stood  at 
the  foot  of  the  ladder  stopped  him. 

"  Beg  pardon,  sir,"  it  said,  "  are  you  first-class?  " 

**  No;  I  am  second.^* 

**  Did  you  wish  to  see  the  purser  or  some  officer 
of  the  ship?'' 

"No;  I  wished  to  see  one  of  the  passengers." 

"  In  that  case,  I  fear  I  cannot  let  you  pass,  sir. 
It  is  against  the  rules." 

"Oh,  is  it?"  said  Dan,  all  his  suspicions  revived 
with  double  force,  and  he  bit  his  lip  in  perplex- 
ity. 

"  I  am  sorry,  sir;  but  I  am  here  to  enforce  the 
rules." 

"  Oh,  I  understand,"  said  Dan. 

**  You  might  get  your  stateroom  steward  to  take 
a  message,"  the  man  suggested. 

**  But  I  want  to  see  the  person." 

"  The  person  can  come-  to  you.  TTiere  is  no  rule 
against  first-class  visiting  second.  First-class  has  the 
run  of  the  ship." 

**  I  sec,"  said  Dan.  "  Thank  you,"  and  he  went 
away  to  think  it  over. 

Mechanically  he  threaded  his  way  through  the 


210  THE  DESTROYER 

crowd  on  the  promenade,  climbed  up  to  the  boat- 
deck,  and  sat  down  on  the  well-remembered  bench. 
Some  of  the  others  were  occupied,  but  this  one  was 
empty;  perhaps  the  others  were  becoming  as  dear 
to  other  people  as  this  one  was  to  him !  He  got  out 
his  pipe,  lighted  It,  pulled  his  cap  over  his  eyes, 
thrust  his  hands  deep  into  his  pockets,  and  began  to 
think. 

•  He  could,  of  course,  write  Miss  Vard  a  brief 
warning;  but  what  assurance  had  he  that  it  would 
be  delivered  to  her,  at  least  without  being  opened? 
If  Chevrial  was  right,  if  she  was  really  under  es- 
pionage, any  communication  addressed  to  her  would 
certainly  be  inspected.  Even  to  write  merely  ask- 
ing her  to  meet  him  would  arouse  suspicion.  There 
was  only  one  way  —  he  must  watch  for  a  chance  to 
steal  forward  Into  first-class  when  no  one  was 
looking. 

He  considered  the  possible  ways  of  doing  this.  In 
the  morning,  he  knew,  the  folding  gate  which  di- 
vided the  lower  promenade  into  first  and  second  class 
was  always  swung  back  while  the  deck  was  being 
washed  down.  It  would  be  easy  to  pass  then;  but, 
he  reflected,  in  the  daytime  he  had  never  noticed 
that  a  guard  was  stationed  at  the  ladder  leading. to 
the  upper  promenade.  Perhaps  it  was  only  at  night 
that  the  prohibition  was  in  force  —  at  night,  when 
the  women  of  the  first-cabin  had  their  diamonds  on  I 


A  CHARGE  TO  KEEP  211 

There  must,  of  course,  be  some  police  supervision 
of  the  ship;  each  class  must  be  kept  to  its  own  quar- 
ters, or,  at  least,  prevented  from  wandering  into 
quarters  higher  up.  But,  just  the  same,  he  must  get 
past! 

He  rose,  and,  walking  to  the  forward  rail,  looked 
across  at  the  other  deck.  A  space  of  perhaps  thirty 
feet  separated  it  from  the  one  on  which  he  stood. 
Then  he  looked  down.  The  man  on  guard  was  pa- 
cing slowly  back  and  forth,  his  hands  behind  him;  but 
suddenly  he  quickened  his  step,  for  two  men  had 
approached  the  foot  of  the  ladder.  The  guard 
stopped  them  with  the  same  formula  he  had  used 
with  Dan. 

*'  Beg  pardon,  gentlemen,*'  he  said,  "  are  you  first- 
class?" 

"No;  we  are  second-class,"  answered  one  of  the 
men. 

"  Have  you  business  with  the  purser  or  any 
officer  of  the  ship?  " 

There  was  a  moment's  hesitation. 

"  Why  do  ycu  ask?  "  queried  one  of  the  men. 

"  It  IS  forbidden  to  pass  otherwise." 

Again  there  was  a  moment's  hesitation,  and  Dan 
strained  his  ears  to  catch  the  reply. 

"  We  have  business  with  the  Commander,"  said 
one  of  the  men  at  last,  in  a  low  tone. 

The  guard  was  obviously  surprised. 


212  THE  DESTROYER 

**  The  Commander  is  very  'busy,"  he  said,  depre- 
catingly.     *'  Perhaps  to-morrow  will  do." 

"  To-morrow  will  not  do,"  was  the  curt  an- 
swer. 

**  I  must,  at  least,  announce  you,"  said  the  guard. 
**  May  I  have  your  card?  " 

A  card  was  produced  and  handed  to  him.  With- 
out looking  at  it,  he  blew  a  sharp  blast  on  a  little 
whistle  which  hung  about  his  neck.  In  a  moment 
another  man  in  uniform  appeared  at  the  head  of  the 
ladder.  The  guard  mounted  and  handed  him  the 
card. 

"  For  the  Captain,"  he  said,  and  came  down  again. 
*'  I  regret  that  I  must  detain  you,  gentlemen,"  he 
added,  '*  but  I  must  obey  the  regulations." 

"  Certainly,"  agreed  one  of  the  men,  and  they 
stepped  a  little  apart  and  stood  talking  together  in 
low  tones.  But  almost  immediately  the  messenger 
appeared  again  at  the  top  of  the  ladder. 

"  The  Captain  will  receive  you,  gentlemen,"  he 
said,  and  swung  open  the  gate  and  waited  for  them 
to  pass.  Then  he  closed  the  gate  and  hurried  after 
them.  Dan  could  see  them  going  along  the  upper 
promenade;  then  they  passed  from  sight. 

The  guard  had  stared  after  them  as  they  climbed 
the  ladder,  and  he  stood  staring  for  some  little  time 
after  they  had  gone.     Plainly  he  was  much  aston- 


A  CHARGE  TO  KEEP  213 

Ished.  Bu*:  at  last,  with  a  shake  of  the  head,  he 
turned  away  and  resumed  his  walk. 

Dan  was  about  to  turn  away,  too,  when  another 
incident  attracted  his  attention.  A  barefooted 
sailor  in  white  duck,  coming  from  the  stern  of  the 
ship,  climbed  to  the  rail,  tested  the  rope  holding  the 
canvas  windshield,  and  then,  as  the  guard  turned 
away,  grasped  a  stanchion  of  the  railing  above  his 
head  and  drew  himself  up  cjuickly  to  the  first  prom- 
enade. Dan,  looking  after  him,  saw  him  run 
rapidly  up  the  ladder  to  the  forward  boat-deck  and 
disappear  behind  a  life-boat. 

That  was  a  way,  certainly,  to  evade  the  guard. 
Dan  measured  the  distance  from  the  rail  to  the  upper 
deck,  and  wondered  if  he  could  pull  himself  up  as 
quickly  as  the  sailor  had.  He  would  have  to  be 
quick,  or  the  guard  would  see  him.  And  it  was 
quite  an  athletic  feat.  Besides,  he  would  be  handi- 
capped by  his  shoes ;  he  might  easily  slip  off  the  rail 
and  over  the  side.  No,  that  road  was  too  danger- 
ous, except  as  a  last  resort.  Besides,  if  he  were 
caught,  it  would  be  very  awkward. 

He  returned  to  his  bench  and  sat  down  again. 
After  all,  was  there  really  any  reason  why  he  should 
warn  Miss  Vard?  The  whole  thing  was,  most  prob- 
ably, nothing  but  a  bit  of  rhodomontade  on  Chcvriars 
part.     And  who  was  Chevrial,  anyway?    How  did 


214  THE  DESTROYER 

It  happen  that  he  was  so  familiar  with  spies  and 
secret  services  and  systems  of  espionage?  A  most 
peculiar  wine-merchant.  Perhaps  he  was  not  a  wine- 
merchant;  perhaps  .  .  . 

"  A  penny  for  your  thoughts,  Mr.  Webster,"  said 
a  low  voice,  and  some  one  sat  down  beside  him. 

He  turned  with  a  violent  start. 

"  Kasia !  "  he  cried,  and  then  stopped,  stammer- 
ing. "  I  beg  your  pardon.  Miss  Vard,"  he  said, 
also  lowering  his  voice.     "  You  startled  me  so !  " 

As  she  met  his  glance,  he  saw  how  bright  her  eyes 
were.  She  had  thrown  a  wrap  about  her  and  drawn 
the  hood  over  her  head.  Against  it,  her  face  looked 
very  white. 

"  I  think  you  may  call  me  Kasia,"  she  said  softly. 
**  You  see,  I  need  a  friend,  and  I  should  hate  to  have 
a  friend  call  me  anything  else.  No,"  she  added, 
as  he  started  to  say  something,  "  I  shall  continue  to 
call  you  Mr.  Webster  —  that  is  not  quite  the  same 
thing.     And  I  am  sorry  I  startled  you." 

**  It  was  because  I  was  thinking  of  you.  I  have 
been  thinking  of  you  all  day.  I  tried  to  go  to  you, 
just  now,  I  had  something  to  tell  you.  But  the 
guard  at  the  ladder  stopped  me." 

He  looked  around  to  make  sure  that  there  was 
no  one  near. 

**  He  didn't  stop  w^,"  she  said. 

"  No ;  first-class  passengers  have  the  run  of  the 


A  CHARGE  TO  KEEP  215 

ship.  How  does  it  happen  that  you  are  first-class, 
Kasia?" 

It  was  the  first  time  that  he  had  used  the  word 
with  intention,  and  his  voice  trembled  a  little  over  it. 

She  told  him  rapidly  of  the  odour  which  had  sud- 
denly developed  in  her  former  stateroom,  and  how 
the  ship's  people  had  finally  been  compelled  to 
transfer  her  and  her  father  to  the  first-cabin. 

*'  Oh,  to  quite  sumptuous  quarters,"  she  went  on; 
*'  you  should  see  them.  Two  bedrooms  and  a  sit- 
ting-room and  bath  —  an  imperial  suite.  There  are 
no  places  left  at  the  tables,  so  our  meals  are  served 
in  our  sitting-room,  as  though  we  were  royalties. 
Fm  afraid  our  tips  will  have  to  be  something  enor- 
mous !  I  can't  but  feel  that  the  steamship  company 
is  getting  very  much  the  worst  of  it.  Both  father 
and  I  offered  to  continue  eating  second-class,  but  the 
Captain  wouldn't  hear  of  it.  He  seems  to  think, 
poor  man,  that  the  odour  has  disgraced  his  boat. 
He  was  quite  humble  about  it !  " 

Dan  breathed  a  deep  sigh  of  relief. 

"  I'm  glad  it's  so  simple,"  he  said.  "  I  had  begun 
to  imagine  all  sorts  of  things.  Last  night,  when 
we  were  talking  here,  it  happened  that  my  room- 
mate, a  fellow  named  Chevrial,  was  sitting  on  that 
bench  yonder,  and  overheard  a  little  of  our  talk. 
He  was  quite 'solemn  with  me  this  afternoon  about 
it." 


2i6  THE  DESTROYER 

'*  In  what  way?"  asked  Kasia,  quickly. 

"  He  said  there  are  always  spies  on  board  these 
big  boats,  and  that  you  oughtn't  to  go  around  talk- 
ing about  blowing  up  battleships  —  not  at  this  time, 
anyway,  since  it  is  only  three  or  four  days  since  a 
French  ship  was  blown  up." 

He  could  hqar  the  startled  breath  she  drew,  and 
the  hand  she  laid  on  his  sleeve  was  trembling. 

"Did  he  say  that?"  she  gasped.  "But  he 
doesn't  suspect — " 

"That  your  father  blew  up  La  Lihertef** 
laughed  Dan.  "  Of  course  not.  He  said  that  was 
absurd.  But,  just  the  same,  he  thought  it  unwise  to 
talk  about  it." 

"  He  is  right,"  Kasia  agreed.  "  What  else  did 
he  say?" 

"  He  seemed  to  think  your  being  moved  to  first- 
class  was  part  of  a  plot  of  some  kind,  and  thought 
you  ought  to  be  warned  not  to  make  any  acquaint- 
ances or  confide  in  any  one.  But  of  course  that  was 
just  his  imagination.  If  the  Captain  himself  moved 
you  why  that  settles  it.  He  wouldn't  be  concerned 
in  any  plot.  The  whole  thing,  anyway,  sounds 
like  a  bit  of  ten-twenty-thirty.  I  told  Chevrial 
so. 

"Who  is  this  Chevrial?"  asked  Miss  Vard. 

"  I  don't  know.  He  told  me  he  was  a  dealer  in 
wine.     He  seems  to  have  travelled  a  lot,  and  he  is 


A  CHARGE  TO  KEEP  217 

certainly  a  well-educated  fellow,  and  one  of  the  best 
talkers  I  ever  met.  A  Frenchman  all  through,  from 
the  way  he  got  worked  up  over  Alsace-Lorraine. 
He  said  It  was  as  bad  as  Poland.  But  I  suspect  he 
was  letting  his  Gallic  Imagination  run  away  with  him 
when  he  got  on  the  subject  of  spies." 

"  I  am  not  so  sure  of  that,"  she  said,  and  fell 
silent  for  a  moment.  "  I  have  seen  more  of  spies 
than  have  you,  Mr.  Webster  —  I  know  how  Europe 
Is  honeycombed  with  them.  At  any  rate.  It  can  do 
no  harm  to  follow  his  advice.  Please  make  sure  that 
there  is  no  one  near  us.  I  have  something  most  Im- 
portant to  say  to  you." 

Dan  glanced  at  her  in  surprise;  then  he  got  up, 
looked  behind  the  boat  In  whose  shadow  the  bench 
stood,  and  made  a  careful  survey  of  their  surround- 
ings.    Then  he  sat  down  again. 

"  There  Is  no  one  near,"  he  assured  her. 

**  Mr.  Webster,"  she  began,  leaning  so  close  that 
a  tendril  of  her  hair  brushed  his  cheek,  and  speaking 
in  a  voice  that  was  almost  a  whisper,  "  I  told  you 
that  I  had  need  of  a  friend.  It  is  a  desperate  need. 
I  may  rely  upon  you,  may  I  not?  " 

For  answer,  he  sought  her  hand,  found  it  and  held 
it  fast.     It  was  very  cold. 

"  I  was  sure  of  it,"  she  said,  and  her  fingers  closed 
upon  his.  **  I  knew,  In  my  first  glance  at  you,  that 
you  were  to  be  counted  on." 


2i8  THE  DESTROYER 

Dan's  heart  was  glowing  and  he  could  not  trust 
himself  to  speak. 

"  My  need  is  this/'  she  went  on  rapidly,  as 
though,  having  nerved  herself  to  speak,  she  must 
hurry  through  with  it  before  her  resolution  failed. 
"  My  father  has  perfected  an  invention  —  oh,  a 
great  Invention  —  which  he  fears  some  one  may  try 
to  steal  from  him.  He  has  many  enemies  who 
would  stop  at  nothing  to  gain  possession  of  it.  Even 
on  this  boat,  perhaps,  there  are  some  of  th^m  —  he 
does  not  know ;  there  is  no  way  that  he  can  tell ;  but 
he  is  very  anxious.  For  eight  years  he  laboured  at 
this  invention,  and  at  last  it  is  finished.  But  if  some 
one  should  steal  his  model,  all  this  would  be  for 
nothing  —  for  worse  than  nothing.  It  is  not  a 
money  loss  he  fears  —  this  invention  will  not  bring 
him  money  —  but  his  whole  life  would  be  wrecked 
—  all  his  plans,  all  his  hopes.  To-day  he  agreed 
with  me  that  this  model  should  be  destroyed;  he  put 
it  in  my  hand  and  he  expected  me  to  drop  it  into  the 
sea.  But  I  was  afraid  to  do  that;  perhaps  he  could' 
not  make  another.  It  is  so  complicated,  so  delicate, 
perhaps  he  would  go  wrong.  So  I  thought  and 
thought  —  I  thought  if  I  had  a  friend  whom  I  could 
trust  absolutely,  whom  no  one  would  suspect  of  pos- 
sessing it,  I  might  entrust  it  to  him  ..." 

Dan's  pressure  on  her  hand  grew  stronger. 

*'  Give  it  to  me,"  he  said. 


A  CHARGE  TO  KEEP  219 

Kasia  gazed  into  his  eyes  for  a  moment,  as 
though  reading  his  very  soul;  then  her  other  hand 
came  forward  under  her  cloak  and  touched  his.  He 
felt  that  it  held  a  package;  and  he  took  it  quickly 
and  slipped  it  into  the  pocket  of  his  coat. 

**  Now  it  is  safe,"  he  said.  "  You  are  not  to 
worry  about  it  any  more." 

She  breathed  a  deep  sigh  of  relief. 

"  But  you  must  make  me  two  promises,"  she  said. 

"What  are  they?" 

"  You  must  permit  no  one,  under  any  circum- 
stances, to  open  that  package." 

"  I  promise." 

"  Rather  than  do  that,  rather  than  permit  any  one 
to  see  it,  you  must  destroy  it  —  throw  it  overboard, 
stamp  upon  it  —  destroy  it  in  some  way." 

"  I  promise." 

"  No  matter  who  may  be  trying  to  get  it  —  the 
Captain  of  this  ship,  an  officer  of  the  police  —  it 
must  make  no  difference." 

"  I  promise." 

She  leaned  back  against  the  seat,  suddenly  relaxed 
as  from  a  great  strain,  and  closed  her  eyes.  But 
she  did  not  draw  her  hand  away.  Then  she  opened 
her  eyes  and  looked  at  him,  and  her  lips  were  quiv- 
ering. An  immense  longing  to  take  her  in  his  arms, 
to  stoop  and  kiss  those  lips,  to  hold  her  close  to  him, 
rushed  through  the  man's  veins.     But  he  held  him- 


220  THE  DESTROYER 

self  back.  To  do  that  would  be  base;  to  do  that 
would  be  asking  payment!  He  could  not  do  that. 
But  sometime,  sometime  .  .  . 

She  saw  the  change  in  his  face,  sat  for  an  instant 
very  still,  then  drew  her  hand  away,  got  out  her 
handkerchief  and  passed  it  across  her  eyes. 

"  Now  we  can  talk,"  she  said,  in  another  tone. 
"  You  may  choose  the  subject.'' 

Dan  pulled  himself  together. 

"  Oh,  any  subject  will  do,"  he  laughed.  "  Ships 
or  shoes  or  seaHng-wax  —  just  so  you  do  the  talk- 
ing." 

And  he  got  out  his  pipe  and  filled  it  with  trem- 
l)ling  fingers.     He  was  absurdly  happy. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE   FIRST   CONFERENCE 

In  the  Captain's  cabin,  meanwhile,  another  confer- 
ence was  going  forward,  and  one  of  a  very  different 
character  from  that  on  the  after  boat-deck.  The 
curtains  had  been  carefully  drawn,  and  three  men 
sat  facing  each  other.  They  were  Ignace  Vard, 
Pachmann,  and  the  young  man  whom  he  addressed 
habitually  as  '*  Prince."  Vard  was  on  the  divan  in 
the  corner  of  the  room,  the  others  lounged  in  two 
luxuriously  upholstered  chairs  which  had  been 
wheeled  in  front  of  the  divan.  Their  attitudes 
suggested  careless  unconcern,  but  their  eyes  were 
glowing  with  repressed  excitement.  Cigars  and 
liqueurs  were  on  a  table  between  them,  and  the  air 
was  blue  with  smoke. 

The  Captain  had  been  chatting  with  a  group  of 
passengers  when  Pachmann's  card  was  handed  to 
him,  but,  after  a  glance  at  it,  he  excused  himself  at 
once. 

"  Show  the  gentlemen  to  my  cabin,''  he  said  to  the 
messenger,  and  himself  hastened  to  it.  There,  a 
moment  later,  Pachmann  and  the  Prince  appeared. 

**  It  is  necessary  that  we  have  a  conference  to- 

22Z 


222  THE  DESTROYER 

night,"  said  Pachmann,  "  with  this  Ignace  Vard.  ft 
must  be  in  a  room  where  we  cannot  by  any  possi- 
bility be  overheard." 

"  It  is,  I  suppose,  an  affair  of  state?  "  asked  the 
Captain. 

"  Yes;  of  the  first  importance." 

^*  My  cabin,  then,  is  at  your  disposal." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  Pachmann.  "  There 
could  be  no  better  place.  I  was  hoping  that  you 
would  offer  it." 

"  You  will  understand,  sir,"  Hausmann  went 
on,  stroking  his  beard  nervously,  "  that  an  expla- 
nation of  all  this  will  have  to  be  made  to  my  com- 
pany." 

"  I  will  see  that  a  satisfactory  explanation  is 
made,  sir,"  Pachmann  assented. 

The  Captain  nodded  his  relief. 

"  That  is  what  I  desire.  I  will  have  Vard 
brought  to  you,"  he  said,  saluted  and  withdrew. 

He  sent  a  messenger  for  the  inventor,  waited  until  ^ 
he  had  entered,  and  then  summoned  a  sailor  and 
posted  him  as  a  sentry  outside  the  door,  with  in- 
structions to  permit  no  one  else  to  enter  or  even 
knock.  Then  he  had  another  man  stretch  a  rope 
across  the  deck  some  twenty  feet  abaft  the  door; 
and  finally  mounted  thoughtfully  to  the  bridge,  con- 
siderably to  the  surprise  of  his  subordinates,  and 
spent  the  whole  evening  there,  pacing  slowly  back 


THE  FIRST  CONFERENCE  223 

and  forth  with  an  appearance  of  restlessness  the 
other  officers  could  not  understand,  for  the  weather 
was  very  fine  and  the  barometer  high  and  steady. 

In  the  cabin  below  the  conference  proceeded. 

"  It  is  as  well,  Mr.  Vard,"  Pachmann  was  say- 
ing, "  that  we  should  understand  each  other.  The 
Prince  and  myself  are  here  as  the  direct  personal 
representatives  of  the  Emperor,  who  has  given  us 
his  fullest  confidence  and  the  most  complete  au- 
thority. Any  agreement  we  may  make  with  you,  he 
will  recognise  as  binding.  It  was  a  condition  of 
yours,  I  believe,  that  you  would  meet  only  with  per- 
sons so  empowered." 

"  I  should  have  preferred  to  treat  with  the  Em- 
peror himself,"  said  Vard. 

"  You  could  scarcely  expect  him  to  make  this  trip 
to  America,"  Pachmann  pointed  out,  with  a  smile. 
"  If  you  had  been  content  to  go  to  Berlin  .  .  ." 

"  That  was  impossible,"  Vard  broke  in.  "  It  was 
stipulated  that  the  treaty  should  be  signed  in 
America,  and  the  Emperor  agreed." 

"  And  we  are  here  to  carry  out  that  agreement," 
Pachmann  added.  "  But  before  we  proceed  to  a 
consideration  of  it,  I  will  outline  the  progress  of 
affairs  to  the  present  moment,  in  order  that  the 
Prince  may  be  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  mat- 
ter. If  I  am  mistaken  in  any  detail,  please  correct 
me. 


224  THE  DESTROYER 

Vard  nodded,  and  lay  back  In  his  seat,  watching 
the  smoke  from  his  cigar,  as  it  wreathed  itself  to- 
ward the  ceiling. 

"  About  the  middle  of  July,''  Pachmann  began, 
"  Mr.  Vard  called  on  Count  Eulenberg,  the  Chief 
Marshall  of  the  Imperial  Court,  and  asked  for  a 
private  audience  with  the  Emperor.  The  request 
was  so  preposterous  that  the  Count  was  astounded 
when  Mr.  Vard  persisted  In  It.  After  that  he  was 
shadowed  night  and  day,  his  lodgings  were  searched, 
his  mail  opened,  and  the  police  authorities  were  about 
to  expel  him  from  the  country  as  a  dangerous  per- 
son, when  something  still  more  astonishing  hap- 
pened. With  incredible  good  fortune,  Mr.  Vard 
had  In  some  way  managed  to  secure  an  audience 
with  Admiral  von  TIrpitz,  Secretary  for  the  Navy; 
two  days  later,  a  secret  audience  was  arranged,  at 
which  the  Emperor  was  present.  At  the  request  of 
Admiral  von  TIrpitz,  I  was  also  present,  in  my 
capacity  as  Chief  of  the  Wireless  Service. 

"  At  this  conference  Mr.  Vard  stated  that  he  had 
discovered  a  principle,  or  invented  an  apparatus,  by 
which  he  could  explode  the  magazines  of  a  fort  or 
battleship  at  any  distance  up  to  five  miles,  and  that 
he  believed  the  perfection  of  the  Invention  would 
greatly  increase  its  range.  This  new  principle, 
which  worked  in  conjunction  with  the  ordinary  wire- 
less, was  something  against  which  there  was  no  way 


THE  FIRST  CONFERENCE  225 

to  guard,  since  it  penetrated  both  wood  and  metal. 
Every  ship,  every  army,  every  fort  was  at  the  mercy 
of  the  man  controlling  it.  If  a  single  nation  con- 
trolled It,  that  nation  would  become  mistress  of  the 
world;  if  it  was  common  to  all  nations,  war,  as  we 
know  it,  would  be  impossible. 

"  Mr.  Vard  went  on  to  say  that  it  was  not  his  pur- 
pose to  make  this  discovery  the  property  of  a  single 
nation.  His  purpose  was  to  render  war  so  impos- 
sible that  all  nations  would  consent  to  universal  dis- 
armament, and  enter  into  an  agreement  for  universal 
peace.  He  had  come  to  Germany  first,  he  said,  be- 
cause she  was  the  greatest  of  the  armed  nations,  and 
if  she  agreed  to  his  proposal,  the  example  would  be 
very  great.  His  proposal  was  that  he  would  prove 
that  he  was  able  to  do  everything  he  claimed,  in  any 
way  that  Germany  might  prescribe;  in  the  event  of 
his  success,  Germany  was  to  sign  an  agreement  to 
disarm,  was  to  secure  the  signature  of  Russia  and 
such  other  nations  as  she  could  influence,  and  this 
alliance  was  then  to  force  the  agreement  of  all  other 
nations;  the  navies  and  coast  defences  of  such  na- 
tions as  would  not  agree  to  be  blown  to  pieces  and 
their  consent  compelled." 

Pachmann  paused  for  a  moment  and  wiped  his 
glistening  forehead. 

"  Am  I  stating  your  proposal  correctly,  Mr. 
Vard?"  he  asked 


226  THE  DESTROYER 

The  inventor  nodded,  without  lowering  his  eyes 
from  the  celling. 

"  I  need  not  say  with  what  astonishment  we  lis- 
tened to  this  extraordinary  proposal,"  Pachmann 
continued.  "  It  seemed  Impossible  that  any  merely 
human  brain  should  have  been  able  to  work  out  the 
details  of  a  plan  so  stupendous.  But  It  impressed 
the  Emperor;  it  Impressed  all  of  us.  We  held  other 
conferences,  and  It  was  finally  agreed  that,  before 
we  went  further,  Mr.  Vard  should  give  us  the  proof 
he  had  suggested.  The  test  to  which  he  finally  con- 
sented was  to  be  a  conclusive  one.  He  was  to  blow 
up  a  French  battleship  in  Toulon  harbour.  As  his 
funds  were  limited,  we  agreed  to  bear  the  expense 
of  the  experiment  and  to  reimburse  him  for  the 
apparatus  which  he  would  have  to  leave  behind.  If 
he  succeeded,  we  would  be  ready  to  treat  definitely 
with  him;  two  commissioners,  with  full  powers  from 
the  Emperor,  would  accompany  him  to  America, 
where  such  treaty  as  might  finally  be  agreed  upon 
would  be  signed.     Am  I  right  so  far,  Mr.  Vard?" 

The  inventor  had  lowered  his  eyes  and  was  look- 
ing at  the  speaker  keenly. 

"  Yes,'*  he  said,  "  except  that  you  should  add  that 
it  was  distinctly  understood  that  the  treaty  was  to  be 
one  for  universal  disarmament,  and  that  Germany 
was  to  do  everything  in  her  power  to  secure  the  con- 
sent of  all  other  nations." 


THE  FIRST  CONFERENCE  227 

"  You  are  right,"  agreed  Pachmann,  readily. 
"  That  was  to  be  the  general  purpose  of  the  treaty. 
It  was  only  its  details  we  were  to  discuss  —  the 
exact  manner  in  which  this  end  could  best  be  accom- 
plished." 

The  Prince  had  been  listening  intently,  and  at  the 
words,  his  eyes  and  Pachmann's  met.  Vard  was 
again  gazing  at  the  ceiling. 

"  On  the  twentieth  of  this  month,"  Pachmann  con- 
tinued, "  Admiral  von  Tirpitz  received  from  Mr. 
Vard,  in  a  code  agreed  upon,  a  telegram  stating  that 
the  test  would  occur  at  daylight  on  Monday  the 
twenty-fifth."  He  paused  for  a  moment,  then  went 
on  more  slowly.  "  At  that  hour,  a  companion  and 
myself  were  on  the  harbour-front  of  Toulon;  and  at 
that  hour  La  Liberie  was  indeed  destroyed." 

He  stopped,  his  eyes  on  the  inventor's  face. 
Vard  met  his  glance  without  flinching. 

"  Understand,"  he  said,  in  a  low  tone,  "  that  I  am 
no  monster,  that  I  recognise  the  sacredness  of  human 
life.  The  test  proposed  was  yours,  not  mine ;  I  pro- 
tested against  it,  and  I  consented  at  last  because  I 
saw  that  you  would  with  nothing  else  be  satisfied. 
But  for  the  destruction  of  that  ship,  you  will  have 
to  atone ;  to  those  men  who  were  killed  a  great  monu- 
ment shall  be  built;  they  shall  be  recognised  by  all 
the  world  as  heroes  and  martyrs;  their  families  shall 
weep  for  them,  indeed,  but  with  tears  of  joy  and 


228  THE  DESTROYER 

pride.  To  banish  war  from  the  world  those  men 
laid  down  their  lives,  even  as  I  would  lay  down 
mine  —  even  as  any  brave  man  would  —  gladly, 
eagerly !  " 

His  eyes  were  shining,  and  the  Princp,  looking  at 
him,  felt  himself  shaken  by  a  strange  emotion.  But 
across  Pachmann's  lips  flitted  an  ironical  smile,  as 
of  one  who  disdained  heroics. 

"  For  the  decision  as  to  La  Liberte/^  he  said,  "  I 
assume  full  responsibility.  It  was  I  who  suggested 
it;  it  was  I  who  showed  that  no  other  proof  could 
be  conclusive ;  it  was  I  who  arranged  for  it.  I  have 
no  regrets.  You  have  your  part  of  the  bargain  ac- 
complished, Mr.  Vard,"  he  added.  '*  His  High- 
ness  and  myself  are  here  to  accomplish  ours.  We 
are  ready  to  discuss  the  details  of  the  treaty." 

*'  I  think  that  first,  perhaps,  I  should  look  at  your 
credentials,''  Vard  suggested. 

"  That  is  just,"  and  Pachmann,  getting  out  his 
pocket-book,  took  from  it  the  envelope  sealed  with 
the  black  seal,  and  handed  it  to  Vard. 

Vard  took  it,  glanced  at  the  seal,  and  hesitated, 
just  as  the  captain  of  the  Ottilie  had  done. 

*'  I  am  to  open  it?  "  he  asked. 

Pachmann  nodded. 

"  It  contains  my  credentials,"  he  said. 

A  careful  inspection  of  the  seal  would  have  dis- 
closed the  fact  that  the  envelope  had  already  been 


THE  FIRST  CONFERENCE  229 

opened  once  —  perhaps  more  than  once  —  but  Vard 
made  no  such  inspection.  Instead,  he  broke  the  seal 
with  nervous  fingers,  and  drew  out  the  stiff  sheet 
blazing  with  the  Royal  insignia.  This  is  the  Eng- 
lish of  what  he  read : 

. "  Herewith  do  I  grant  to  the  bearer  of  this  paper,  Ad- 
miral H.  Pachmann,  power  extraordinary  as  my  representa- 
tive, to  enter  into  agreements,  to  make  treaties,  and  to  sign 
the  same;  and  I  do  further  declare  that  I  shall  consider 
myself  bound  by  such  agreements  and  signatures  as  though 
I  myself  had  made  them;  and,  finally,  I  command  all  mem- 
bers of  my  family,  all  officers  of  my  army  and  navy,  all 
members  of  my  diplomatic  corps,  and  all  good  Germans 
generally,  to  yield  to  him  the  same  obedience  they  would 
yield  to  me;  all  this  for  the  good  of  my  Empire. 

"  Signed, 

"William,  R.  I. 
'  WiLHELMSHOHE,  September  21,  191 1." 

Vard  re-read  this  extraordinary  paper,  then  re- 
placed it  in  its  envelope  and  silently  returned  it  to 
it?  owner.  Again  that  ironical  smile  flashed  across 
Pachmann's  lips,  as  he  restored  it  to  his  pocket-book. 

"  You  find  it  ample,  do  you  not?  "  he  asked. 

Vard  nodded,  and  glanced  curiously  at  the 
Prince,  wondering  if  that  young  man  was  aware  of 
the  exact  wording  of  this  remarkable  document, 
especially  of  the  clause,  *'  all  members  of  my 
family.*' 


230  THE  DESTROYER 

*'  And  now,'*  proceeded  Pachmann,  adjusting  him- 
self to  an  easier  posture,  "  we  shall  be  glad  to  hear 
the  further  details  of  your  proposal." 

Vard  paused  for  a  moment  to  collect  his  thoughts. 

"  There  is  one  thing  I  would  understand  first,"  he 
said.  "  From  that  paper,  I  infer  that  the  Emperor 
alone  is  concerned  in  this  —  that  his  cabinet  is  not 
aware  of  it." 

"  No  member  of  the  cabinet  except  one  —  whom 
I  will  not  name,"  assented  Pachmann.  *'  I  will 
not  conceal  from  you  that  the  Emperor  Is  desirous 
of  reaping  for  himself  the  full  glory  of  this  achieve- 
ment. He  realises  that  the  man  who  brings  about 
world-peace  will  be  the  most  famous  man  in  history. 
He  has  his  ambitions,  as  you  doubtless  know." 

"  Yes,  I  have  heard  so,"  said  Vard,  with  an 
ironic  smile.  "  Well,  let  him  have  the  glory  —  I 
do  not  object;  besides,  he  will  deserve  It.  And  now 
for  my  proposal.  It  is  this:  the  nations  of  the 
world,  with  Germany  and  Russia  as  the  first  signa- 
tories, shall  enter  into  a  treaty  providing  for  the 
immediate  disbanding  of  their  armies,  dismantling 
of  their  forts,  and  disintegrating  of  their  fleets. 
Only  such  troops  shall  be  retained  as  are  needed  to 
provide  garrisons  for  such  outposts  as  may  be  neces- 
sary to  protect  the  Christian  world  from  the  incur- 
sion of  barbarous  or  nomadic  tribes,  and  only  such 
warships  as  are  needed  to  assist  in  this  work.     The 


THE  FIRST  CONFERENCE  231 

exact  number  each  nation  shall  maintain  will  be  de- 
cided by  a  general  court  of  adjudication,  and  all 
such  troops  and  warships  shall  be  in  common;  and 
all  expenditures  for  what  are  usually  known  as  mili- 
tary purposes  shall  be  in  common,  apportioned  by 
the  same  court  of  adjudication  among  the  nations 
which  are  party  to  the  agreement.  Under  no  cir- 
cumstances may  any  nation  maintain  any  force  pri- 
vately or  for  its  own  use." 

"  I  am  Interested  to  know,"  put  in  Pachmann, 
smoothly,  "  in  what  manner  you  propose  to  secure 
the  ''onsent  of  the  various  nations  to  this  scheme. 
The  smaller  ones  will  doubtless  be  glad  to  fall  Into 
line;  but  you  surely  do  not  expect  England  and 
France,  for  example,  to  agree  merely  because  we 
ask  it!" 

*'  To  those  who  do  not  consent,"  Yard  answered 
calmly,  "  we  will  give  a  demonstration  of  the  neces- 
sity for  doing  so." 

"  Some  such  demonstration  as  that  of  Monday?  " 

"  Yes  —  greater  ones,  if  need  be." 

Pachmann  considered  this  thoughtfully. 

'*  It  might  do,"  he  said,  at  last.  "  A  few  such 
demonstrations,  would  no  doubt  be  convincing.  Yet 
there  might  be  one  or  two  which  would  be  obdurate." 

"  I  think,  in  the  end,  we  can  convince  them." 

"  You  will  go  to  any  lengths  to  do  so  ?  " 

**  To  any  necessary  lengths." 


232  THE  DESTROYER 

Pachmann  nodded. 

"  I  was  desirous  of  getting  a  clear  expression  from 
you  upon  that  point,"  he  said.     "  Pray  continue." 

"  I  do  not  believe  there  will  be  many  such  na- 
tions," Vard  went  on.  "You  have  spoken  of 
France  and  England.  I  believe  France  will  Con- 
sent, for  she  is  a  nation  of  idealists.  I  should  have 
chosen  her  to  lead  the  movement,  but  for  the  fact 
that  her  army  and  navy  are  inferior  to  yours,  and 
so  she  might  seem  to  be  acting  from  fear  or  from 
self-interest.  Should  you  refuse  —  should  we  be 
unable  to  agree  —  it  will  be  to  France  I  shall  go 
next.  As  for  England,  she  also  fears  you  —  she 
will  be  glad  to  escape  from  the  burden  of  her  arma- 
ments and  from  the  shadow  of  your  great  power. 
In  fact  all  nations  in  whose  governments  the  people 
have  a  voice  will  be  eager  for  disarmament.  And 
the  people  everywhere  must  be  allowed  to  speak. 
If  those  in  power  seek  to  crush  them,  to  restrain 
them,  we  must  assist  them  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of 
tyranny  and  decide  for  themselves." 

**  Ah,"  said  Pachmann,  very  quietly.  "  Socialism 
—  I  see!" 

"  The  rule  of  the  people,"  said  Vard,  calmly. 
"  The  freedom  of  the  people  —  call  it  what  you  will. 
That  is  what  I  labour  for.  The  people  of  each  na- 
tion must  be  free  to  choose  by  whom  and  in  what 
manner  they  will  be  governed.     That  evolution  will, 


THE  FIRST  CONFERENCE  233 

of  course,  take  many  years;  but  it  must  not  be 
cramped  or  retarded.  At  the  very  outset,  it  will 
make  two  considerable  changes  in  the  map  of  Europe. 
Poland  will  be  reconstituted  and  Alsace-Lorraine  re- 
stored to  France.'' 

Pachmann  started  violently,  and  a  wave  of  angry 
red  swept  over  his  face. 

"  Impossible !  "  he  cried.  "  Impossible  I  To 
that  we  can  never  consent!  " 

Vard  smiled  at  his  emotion. 

"Why  not?"  he  asked,  ironically. 

"  Because,"  shouted  Pachmann,  "  Elsass  and  Lor- 
raine are  German  —  they  were  stolen  from  Ger- 
many by  France  two  centuries  ago." 

"  They  were  not  German  —  they  were  independ- 
ent states;  and  they  are  not  German  now.  They 
are  French.  However,  I  am  quite  willing  to  leave 
the  final  decision  to  the  people  of  those  provinces. 
You  cannot  object  to  that!  " 

Pachmann  shifted  his  cigar  from  one  corner  of 
his  mouth  to  the  other.     His  face  was  livid. 

"  Beware  that  you  do  not  attempt  too  much,  my 
dear  sir,"  he  said,  and  there  was  in  his  voice  a  covert 
threat  not  to  be  disguised.  "  I  warn  you.  But,  in 
this  connection,  some  other  questions  occur  to  me. 
What  of  Ireland?" 

"  The  Irish  shall  decide." 

"South  Africa?" 


234  THE  DESTROYER 

''  Most  of  It  belongs  to  the  Boers." 

"  That,  at  least,  is  a  grain  of  comfort.  But  In- 
dia, Egypt?  " 

"  I  cannot  answer  that.  India  and  Egypt  must 
be  made  the  subjects  of  careful  study  and  the  gov- 
ernment given  them  which  will  be  best  for  their  peo- 
ples, and  which  will  not  drain  them  of  their  wealth, 
as  England  does.  There  will  be  many  such  prob- 
lems, and  the  best  minds  of  the  world  must  study 
them.  My  answers  to  your  questions  are  but  sug- 
gestions. All  such  problems  m«st  be  settled  by  an 
international  court,  which  shall  proceed  upon  the 
theory  that  all  peoples  capable  of  self-government 
shall  have  absolute  freedom,  and  all  other  peoples 
shall  be  made  capable  of  governing  themselves  as 
rapidly  as  possible.  Each  people  shall  be  free  to 
decide  for  itself  as  to  its  form  of  government,  but 
shall  be  required  to  pledge  itself  to  the  principle  of 
universal  peace.  That  pledge  will  be  necessary 
only  at  first  —  after  fifty  years  of  peace,  no  nation 
will  ever  think  of  war!  I  know  that,  for  a  genera- 
tion or  two,  there  will  be  difficulties.  We  have 
grown  suspicious  of  each  other;  we  have  become 
hardened  by  hatred  and  injustice.  But  time  will 
change  all  that.  Let  us  lay  down  our  arms,  disband 
our  armies,  restore  what  we  have  stolen,  and,  instead 
of  hatred,  we  shall  find  love  in  our  hearts.  Instead 
of  oppression,  we  shall  have  justice,  tempered  with 


THE  FIRST  CONFERENCE  235 

mercy.  Each  man  will  have  his  work  to  do,  and 
none  who  works  wl^  go  hungry;  and  we  will  end  by 
becoming  citizens,  not  of  Germany,  France,  or  of 
any  other  country,  but  of  the  world!  I  tell  you, 
sir,  that  our  great-grandchildren,  looking  back  at  us 
from  a  world  at  peace  and  united  in  brotherhood, 
will  wonder  at  us  —  we  shall  seem  to  them  blind 
savages,  murderers,  lunatics  I  " 

It  was  evident  enough  that  the  Prince  was  moved. 
He  was  young,  he  had  always  been  something  of  a 
dreamer.  Rigid  training  at  his  father's  hands  had 
gone  far  to  dispel  the  dreams,  but  they  were  not 
quite  rooted  out.  Now,  at  the  words  of  this  su- 
preme idealist,  this  inspired  dreamer,  they  revived 
again.  He  sat  regarding  the  speaker  with  misty 
eyes,  his  mouth  a  little  open,  his  hands  gripped  in 
front  of  him.  Pachmann,  glancing  at  him,  passed 
Tiis  hands  before  his  lips  to  wipe  away  a  sneer. 

"  All  most  interesting,"  commented  the  Admiral, 
in  his  ironical  voice.  **  I  think  that  we  understand 
your  proposal  fully.  There  is  only  one  point  upon 
which  you  have  not  made  yourself  quite  clear. 
Should  we  be  unable  to  agree,  what  will  be  your  next 
«tep?" 

*M  thought  I  had  already  told  you,"  answered 
Vard,  impatiently.  "  Should  we  disagree,  I  shall 
offer  France  the  same  opportunity  which  I  now  offer 
Germany," 


236  THE  DESTROYER 

"  You  will  find  France  sceptical." 

"  Then  I  shall  offer  her  the  same  proof  I  offered 
you.  That  will  be  just,  will  it  not  ? "  find  Yard 
looked  straight  into  Pachmann's  eyes. 

Pachmann  sprang  from  his  chair,  his  mouth  work- 
ing, his  eyes  suffused. 

**  You  will  destroy  one  of  our  ships?"  he  de- 
manded, his  voice  hoarse. 

"  A  ship  or  a  fort  —  it  shall  be  for  France  to 
choose." 

Pachmann's  fingers  were  twitching  visibly  to  be  at 
the  other's  throat.  But  by  a  mighty  ef][ort  he  con- 
trolled himself,  flung  himself  again  into  his  chair 
ahd  poured  himself  out  a  glass  of  brandy  from  the 
bottle  at  his  elbow. 

"Will  you  drink?"  he  asked,  over  his  shoulder. 

"  No,  thank  you,"  answered  Vard. 

The  Prince  sat  without  moving,  still  staring  at  the 
inventor.     Meeting  his  eyes,  Vard  smiled  slightly. 

Pachmann  set  down  his  glass,  and  turned  back  to 
them. 

**  I  must  ask  you  to  pardon  me,"  he  said.  "  I  lost 
my  self-control  —  a  thing  I  do  not  often  do  —  but 
your  suggestions  seemed  to  me  insupportable. 
However,  I  can  perceive  that  there  is  another  side 
to  them.  I  think  we  understand  your  proposal  now, 
most  thoroughly.  There  are  certain  details  which 
the  Prince  and  I  must  discuss  together,  before  we  can 


THE  FIRST  CONFERENCE  237 

submit  an  answer.  In  a  matter  of  such  moment,  we 
must  proceed  with  the  greatest  care.  This  is  Thurs- 
day.    I  think  we  can  be  ready  by  Saturday  evening/' 

"  Very  well,"  agreed  Vard,  rising.  "  The  same 
hour,  in  this  room?" 

**  If  that  pleases  you." 

"  It  does." 

He  bowed  coldly  to  Pachmann;  then,  with  a  sud- 
den gesture,  held  out  his  hand  to  the  Prince.  But 
Pachmann  interposed  before  the  Prince  could  take  it. 

"  That  I  cannot  permit,"  he  said  grimly,  and  he 
opened  the  door. 

A  bare-footed  sailor,  clad  in  white  duck,  standing 
on  the  deck  outside,  saluted.  Pachmann  stood  for 
a  moment  staring  after  Yard's  retreating  figure;  then 
he  turned  back  into  the  room.  The  Prince  was  help* 
ing  himself  to  a  drink,  and  Pachmann  joined  him. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  **  this  is  what  we  need,  after  all 
that  raving." 

"  Would  you  call  it  that? ''  asked  the  Prince. 

"  Raving?  Yes,  it  was  precisely  that!  The  man 
is  mad,  my  Prince;  absolutely  mad.  No  one  but  a 
madman  would  speak  as  he  does  —  of  citizens  of 
the  world,  the  brotherhood  of  man,  and  all  that 
folly!" 

The  Prince  drained  his  glass. 

"  I  fear  you  are  right,"  he  said,  as  he  set  it  down. 
"  Yes,  I  fear  you  are  right,  and  that  it  is  only  folly!  " 


238  THE  DESTROYER 

*'  There  Is  one  thing  you  must  not  forget,"  added 
Pachmann,  his  hand  on  the  door;  "  since  he  is  mad, 
it  IS  as  a  madman  he  must  be  treated  I  "  and  he  led 
the  way  out  upon  the  deck. 

Somewhere  In  the  dim  hours  of  the  night,  Dati 
Webster  was  awakened  by  a  glare  of  light  In  his 
eyes..  He  opened  them  to  find  that  the  electric  lamp 
beside  the  wash-stand  was  burning.  Peering  over 
the  edge  of  his  berth,  he  beheld  a  curious  sight. 
Chevrlal  was  sitting  on  his  berth,  half  undressed, 
examining  tenderly  one  of  his  toes,  and  swearing 
softly  to  himself.  He  glanced  up,  met  Dan's  aston- 
ished eyes,  and  laughed. 

"  Man  is  a  ridiculous  animal,"  he  said.  "  The 
feet  with  which  he  has  been  provided  are  absurd  — 
no  doubt  because  they  were  really  intended  to  be 
hands.  They  are  too  sensitive,  too  undefended. 
Blundering  around  here  in  the  darkness,  I  have  in- 
jured one  of  my  toes,  and  It  hurts  devilishly.  Par- 
don me  for  awaking  you,  my  friend.     Good  night  I  " 

He  turned  off  the  light,  and  Dan  lay  back  upon 
his  pillow,  with  strange  thoughts  whirling  in  his 
head. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE    SUBSTITUTE    SENTRY 

Admiral  Pachmann  turned  into  his  berth,  that 
night,  extremely  well-satisfied  with  himself,  for  he 
was  convinced  that  the  cards  were  in  his  hands  and 
the  game  as  good  as  won.  And  what  a  game !  For 
his  King,  world-empire;  for  himself  —  but  the  Ad- 
miral did  not  permit  himself  to  name  the  reward. 
He  knew  well  that  he  would  not  be  forgotten  when 
the  moment  came  for  the  distribution  of  honours. 
Was  not  the  whole  plan  his?  Had  he  not  worked 
it  out  to  its^  minutest  detail  ?  Had  he  not  carried 
it  through?  And  how  adroitly,  how  triumph- 
antly! Even  the  Emperor  would  have  to  acknowl- 
edge that! 

Let  us  do  the  Admiral  justice:  he  loved  his  coun- 
try, he  was  ready  at  any  moment  to  lay  down  his  life 
for  her,  he  would  have  laboured  just  as  earnestly 
without  hope  of  other  reward  than  the  sight  of  her 
aggrandisement:  but,  just  the  same,  when  the  hon- 
ours came,  he  was  not  one  to  refuse  them !  World- 
empire  would  mean  governorships,  suzerainties  .  .  . 

He  was  lying  in  his  berth  next  morning,  half  doz- 
ing, smiling  to  himself  as  all  this  passed  before  his 

239 


240  THE  DESTROYER 

mind  In  august  and  glittering  procession,  when  there 
came  a  tap  at  the  door.  He  got  up,  opened  it,  and 
a  sealed  note  was  handed  in.  A  glance  at  the  other 
berth  showed  that  the  Prince  had  already  risen. 
Pachmann  tore  open  the  note  and  read  Its  contents 
with  some  astonishment.  It  was  from  the  Captain, 
and  asked  for  an  immediate  conference  on  a  matter 
of  great  importance. 

Pachmann  dressed  hastily,  and,  as  he  did  so,  con- 
sidered whether  he  should  hunt  up  the  Prince  and 
summon  him,  also,  to  this  conference.  He  decided 
against  it.  He  foresaw  that  in  this  affair  there 
would  be  many  things  which  it  would  be  unwise  for 
the  Prince  to  know  —  he  had  sat  staring  like  an 
idiot,  last  night,  while  the  mad  Pole  raved  about 
love  and  mercy  and  universal  brotherhood;  he  was 
too  young,  too  easily  impressed,  too  soft  of  heart. 
He  had  agreed  that  victory  must  be  won  at  any 
price,  but  Pachmann  very  well  knew  that  he  had  no 
idea  of  how  terrible  that  price  was  almost  certain 
to  be.  No ;  the  Prince  must  be  kept  as  much  as  pos- 
sible on  the  borders  of  this  affair!  So,  having  fin- 
ished dressing,  the  Admiral  went  forward  alone  to 
the  Captain's  cabin. 

He  found  the  Captain  sitting  at  his  desk,  and  his 
face  was  so  grave  that  it  gave  Pachmann  a  little 
start 

He    rose    and    greeted    the    Admiral,    and    then 


THE  SUBSTITUTE  SENTRY         241 

glanced  over  the  latter's  shoulder,  as  though  expect- 
ing to  see  some  one  else. 

"You  did  not  bring  the  Prince?"  he  asked. 

"Do  you  think  it  necessary?"  retorted  Pach- 
mann,  tartly. 

Hausmann  hesitated. 

"  I  am  not,  of  course,  aware  of  your  relative  posi- 
tions in  this  affair,"  he  said,  finally. 

"  The  paper  I  showed  you  yesterday  should  have 
told  you  that,"  said  Pachmann  quickly.  "  The  af- 
fair has  been  in  my  hands  from  the  first.  The 
Prince  was  sent  along  because  his  father  wished  to 
separate  him  from  a  Berlin  bar-maid." 

"  Ah,  so,"  said  the  Captain,  without  smiling.  "  I 
understand.  Be  seated."  He  did  not  like  Pach- 
mann, and  also,  perhaps,  he  found  the  jesting  refer- 
ence to  the  royariove  affairs  in  bad  taste.  "  A  very 
strange  thing  has  occurred,"  he  continued.  "  I  sta- 
tioned one  of  my  men  outside  the  door,  last  night, 
in  order  that  you  might  not  be  interrupted." 

"  Yes,"  agreed  the  Admiral,  "  and  he  did  his  duty 
very  well.     We  were  not  interrupted." 

"  He  was  found  this  morning,  unconscious,  in  one 
of  the  boats  on  the  upper  deck." 

Pachmann  looked  at  the  speaker  in  some  surprise. 

"Well,"  he  asked,  "what  of  it?  Some  sailor's 
row." 

"  T  thought  so  top,  at  first.     But  he  became  con- 


242  THE  DESTROYER 

scious,  just  now,  and  declares  that  he  was  struck 
down  from  behind." 

Pachmann  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  He  is  probably  lying.  In  any  event,  it  is  of  no 
concern  to  me.  He  was  on  duty  at  the  door  when 
the  conference  closed." 

The  Captain  stared  at  him  as  though  not  under- 
standing. 

"  What  is  it  you  say?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  say,"  repeated  Pachmann,  impatiently,  "  that 
he  was  on  duty  when  we  left  your  cabin.  What 
happened  to  him  after  that  is  of  no  importance." 

"At  what  hour  did  you  leave?"  asked  the  Cap- 
tain, still  staring. 

"  About  midnight.  Why  do  you  look  at  me  like 
that?" 

"  The  man  swears,"  said  Hausmann,  slowly, 
"  that  he  was  struck  down  soon  after  you  entered 
the  cabin." 

Pachmann  jumped  in  his  chair. 

"  He  says  that!  "  he  gasped.  "  But  that  is  im- 
possible —  he  is  lying !  " 

"  Perhaps  you  would  wish  to  interrogate  him?" 
Hausmann  suggested. 

Pachmann  nodded  mutely,  and  the  Captain 
touched  a  bell. 

**  Send  Schroeder  here,"  he  said  to  the  man  who 
answered. 


THE  SUBSTITUTE  SENTRY         243 

The  man  saluted  and  closed  the  door  again,  and 
the  Captain  and  his  visitor  sat  looking  at  each  other 
in  silence.  Both  were  disturbed;  but  Pachmann 
was 'by  far  the  more  dismayed  of  the  two.  To  his 
companion,  it  was  merely  a  fracture  of  the  disci- 
pline of  his  ship ;  but  to  Pachmann  it  was  the  end  of 
the  world!  Try  as  he  might  to  maintain  his  self- 
composure,  he  could  not  stop  the  nervous  trembling 
of  his  hands;  and  from  time  to  time  he  moistened 
his  lips  and  swallowed  with  great  effort.  He  felt 
himself  stricken  to  the  heart;  he  scarcely  dared  per- 
mit himself  to  think  what  it  meant  for  him,  for  his 
King,  for  Germany,  if  this  man  spoke  the  truth. 

And  then  the  door  opened  and  the  man  himself 
entered  —  a  typical  German  sailor,  with  bronzed 
countenance,  and  short  curly  brown  beard,  and  honest 
blue  eyes  —  not  too  Intelligent,  but  faithful,  strong 
and  dependable.  Yes,  and  honest  —  one  could  see 
that.  He  was  barefooted  and  clad  in  a  suit  of 
duck,  which  had  been  white  originally  but  was  now 
much  soiled.  About  his  head  was  a  bandage.  He 
saluted  and  stood  at  attention,  while  Pachmann 
looked  him  over. 

"  Tell  us  what  occurred  last  night,"  the  Captain 
ordered.     "  Think  carefully  and  omit  nothing.'' 

*'  There  is  not  mueh  to  tell,  sir,"  the  man  replied. 
"  You  yourself  gave  me  my  orders.     I  was  to  stand 

out  there,  before  the  door,   and  prevent  any  one 

f 


244  THE  DESTROYER 

knocking.  To  all  who  asked  for  you,  I  was  to  say 
that  you  were  on  the  bridge." 

The  Captain  nodded. 

''  That  is  right,"  he  said.     ''  Continue."  ,^    . 

**  You  then  went  up  to  the  bridge,  and  I  took  the 
station  you  had  assigned  me.  I  did  not  know  who 
was  in  the  cabin,  but  I  could  hear  voices." 

"  Ah  I  "  cried  Pachmann,  with  a  frown.  "  You 
could  hear  voices!     Could  you  also  hear  words?" 

"I  do  not  know,  sir;  I  did  not  listen.  I  know 
better  than  to  listen  when  officers  are  talking." 

"  Continue,"  said  the  Captain  again. 

*'  I  stood  there  for  perhaps  ten  minutes.  There 
were  a  few  passengers  strolling  about  farther  down 
the  deck,  but  you  had  caused  a  rope  to  be  stretched 
across  to  prevent  any  one  coming  as  far  as  your 
cabin." 

Again  the  Captain  nodded. 

**  Yes,  I  took  that  precaution,  also,"  he  said. 

"  Then,"  concluded  Schroeder,  *'  something  struck 
me  a  great  blow  on  the  head,  and  I  knew  no  more 
until  I  awoke  to  find  the  doctor  working  over 
me. 

Pachmann  looked  at  him  searchingly  for  several 
minutes,  but  the  man  met  his  gaze  without  flinching. 

"  Are  you  sure  that  is  all?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

**  You  do  not  remember  standing  at  the  door, 


THE  SUBSTITUTE  SENTRY         245, 

when  it  was  opened,  and  saluting  the  gentlemen  who 
came  out?  " 

"  No,  sir;  I  remember  nothing  of  that." 

**  You  say  you  were  at  the  door  only  ten  min- 
utes?" 

*'  It  may  have  been  a  little  longer  than  that,  sir; 
a  very  little." 

"  Have  you  had  a  quarrel  with  any  member  of  the 
crew?  " 

**  No,  sir;  I  am  on  good  terms  with  all  of  them." 

*' Think  carefully;  is  there  not  one  who  might 
have  wished  to  revenge  himself?  " 

But  Schroeder  shook  his  head  decidedly. 

"  It  was  no  member  of  the  crew,  sir;  not  one  of 
them  is  my  enemy." 

"  Then  who  was  it?"  Pachmann  demanded. 

"  That  I  cannot  say,  §ir." 

"  You  heard  nothing  before  the  blow  was 
struck?" 

**  Nothing,  sir;  I  have  told  you  all  I  remember." 

"  And  you  persist  that  you  have  no  idea  who 
struck  the  blow?  " 

**  I  have  not  the  slightest  idea,  sir." 

Pachmann  looked  at  Schroeder  again,  and  then 
turned  away. 

"  That  is  all,"  said  the  Captain;  "  and  remember, 
you  are  to  speak  of  this  to  no  one." 

**  Yes,  sir,"  said  Schroeder,  and  withdrew. 


246  THE  DESTROYER 

Pachmann  took  a  turn  about  the  cabin,  frowning 
heavily. 

"  What  do  you  make  of  it?  "  he  asked,  at  last. 

"  It  seems  plain  enough,"  Hausmann  answered. 
**  Some  one  knocked  Schroeder  down  and  took  his 
place  at  the  door." 
N^      "  Yes,  yes,"  said  Pachmann,  impatiently.     "  But 
who  was  it,  and  what  was  his  purpose?" 

"  His  purpose,  also,  seems  clear  to  me,"  said  the 
Captain,  quietly.  "  He  wished  to  hear  what  was 
going  on  in  my  cabin." 

"  He  was  a  member  of  your  crew,"  said  Pach- 
mann. "  I  saw  him  —  he  was  barefooted  —  he 
wore  a  uniform." 

"Did  you  see  his  face?  Would  you  know  him 
again?  " 

Pachmann  hesitated. 

"  I  fear  not.  He  was  standing  in  the  shadow, 
and  I  was  preoccupied  and  barely  glanced  at  him. 
I  cannot  even  say  that  it  was  not  Schroeder." 

*'  I  do  not  believe  it  was  any  member  of  my 
crew,"  said  the  Captain. 

"  Then  who  was  it?  " 

"  That,  of  course,  I  cannot  say.  But  why  should 
one  of  my  crew  do  such  a  thing?  " 

"  There  may  be  a  traitor  among  them." 

**  We  know  the  history  of  every  man.     They  are 


THE  SUBSTITUTE  SENTRY         247 

all  good  Germans.  We  are  very  careful.  But  even 
if  there  was  a  traitor,  how  would  he  know  of  this 
conference?  " 

Pachmann  threw  up  his  hands  with  a  gesture  of 
despair,  and  dropped  into  a  chair. 

"How  would  any  one  know?"  he  demanded. 
'  I  mentioned  it  to  no  one  but  the  Prince  and  your- 
self. Vard  himself  did  not  know  of  it  till  I  sum- 
moned him.'' 

Hausmann  looked  at  the  speaker  steadily. 

"  I  trust  that  you  are  not  insinuating  that  it  is  I 
who  am  the  traitor?"  he  asked. 

"  No,  no,"  protested  Pachmann  hastily.  "  I  tell 
you  this  in  order  that  you  may  realise  how  incredible 
this  is  to  me.  After  all,  it  may  have  been  a  member 
of  the  crew  who  knew  nothing  of  the  conference  — 
who  was  there  by  accident  at  the  moment  we  came 
out." 

**  I  do  not  see,"  the  Captain  began,  but  a  knock 
at  the  door  stopped  him.  "  Come  in  I  "  he  called, 
and  the  wardrobe-steward  entered.  "  Well,  what 
is  it?" 

"  I  have  to  report,  sir,"  answered  the  steward, 
"  that  a  suit  of  white  duck  has  been  stolen." 

Hausmann  could  not  refrain  from  casting  a 
glance  of  triumph  at  the  Admiral. 

"  When  did  you  discover  it?  "  he  asked. 


248  THE  DESTROYER 

"  Only  a  few  minutes  ago,  sir.  I  reported  to  the 
head-steward,  and  he  told  me  to  come  at  once  to 
you." 

"  That  was  right.  Do  you  know  when  it  was 
stolen?" 

"  Sometime  during  the  night,  sir.  It  had  been 
washed  and  returned  to  me  yesterday  evening  not 
quite  dry.  I  hung  it  before  a  ventilator  and  when 
I  went  for  it  this  morning,  it  was  no  longer  there." 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  Captain.  ''  I  will  inves- 
tigate the  matter,"  and  the  steward  left  the  cabin. 
Hausmann  looked  at  his  companion.  "  You  see,  it 
was  not  one  of  the  crew,"  he  said. 

Pachmann  was  out  of  his  chair  and  striding  sav- 
agely up  and  down,  his  self-control  completely 
broken  down.  He  had  fancied  himself  quite  safe, 
and  here  he  was  tottering  on  the  edge  of  an  abyss. 

**  It  is  evidently  the  work  of  a  spy,"  added  Haus- 
mann, who,  perhaps,  was  not  wholly  displeased  that 
the  Admiral  should  have  met  with  a  reverse. 
"  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  it  I  We  know  that 
Lepine  suspects  something.  This  is  probably  one  of 
his  men  —  and  a  most  daring  and  resourceful  one." 

"  If  that  is  true,"  said  Pachmann,  hoarsely,  "  he 
must  not  leave  this  ship  alive !  We  must  find  him. 
And  we  must  watch  the  wireless.  Every  message 
must  be  most  carefully  inspected." 

"  1  will  see  that  that  is  done,"  Hausmann  agreed. 


THE  SUBSTITUTE  SENTRY         249 

**  But  to  find  the  man  —  how  do  you  propose  to  ac- 
complish that?  " 

**  When  do  your  officers  start  their  examination 
of  the  passengers  for  the  immigration  record?" 
**  They  can  start  at  once,  if  you  wish." 
"  I  do  wish;  and  I  wish  also  to  be  present." 
"  Very   well,"    agreed   the   Captain.     "  We   will 
start  immediately  after  breakfast." 

"  You  could  be  of  very  great  help,  Captain," 
Pachmann  added,  "  if  you  would  go  over  the  pas- 
senger-list and  check  off  the  passengers  with  whom 
you  are  personally  acquainted.  No  doubt  you  know 
a  great  many  of  them?  " 

"  Yes;  but  the  purser  knows  even  more.  Shall  I 
ask  him  also  to  check  the  list?" 

"  If  you  will.  It  would  save  much  time." 
"  You  will  understand,"  ^aid  Hausmann,  slowly, 
*'  that  I  feel  I  should  know  more  of  this  affair  before 
I  consent  to  take  an  active  part  in  it;  but  I  can,  at 
least,  save  the  passengers  whom  I  know,  and  who 
are  friends  of  mine,  the  annoyance  of  needless  x}ues- 
tioning.  There  is  one  thing  more  I  might  do ;  there 
are  also  on  board  a  few  men  who  have  crossed  with 
me  before,  but  who,  I  am  convinced,  are  not  the  gen- 
tlemen of  wealth  and  leisure  they  pretend  to  be. 
They  may  be  only  sharpers  —  or  they  may  be  some- 
thing else.  In  front  of  the  name  of  each  of  them  I 
will  place  a  cross." 


250  THE  DESTROYER 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Pachmann. 

"  On  one  condition,"  added  the  Captain.  "  You 
said,  but  just  now,  that  if  you  discovered  this  person, 
you  would  not  permit  him  to  leave  this  boat  alive. 
That  was  an  exaggeration,  perhaps." 

"Not  in  the  least  I"  answered  Pachmann, 
hoarsely.     *'  I  myself  will  kill  him!  " 

"  My  condition,  then,  is,"  said  the  Captain,  "  that 
you  renounce  that  project.  I  am  willing  that  he 
should  be  detained  and  returned  to  Germany.  Fur- 
ther than  that  I  will  not  go." 

Pachmann's  fingers  tapped  the  pocket  of  his  coat. 

"  No,"  added  Hausmann,  "  not  even  for  that 
paper !  " 

Pachmann  gazed  at  him  a  moment  with  distorted 
face.     Then  he  nodded. 

"  Very  well,"  he  said;  "  I  consent.  But  it  is  you 
who  take  the  responsibility.  I  warn  you  that,  if  the 
man  escapes,  your  career  on  the  sea  will  be  at  an  end 
—  you  will  find  all  Germany  closed  against  you." 

"  I  will  take  the  responsibility,"  said  Hausmann, 
quietly.      "  You  agree,  then?  " 

"  Yes,  I  agree,"  said  Pachmann,  and  hurried  away 
to  get  his  breakfast. 

And  all  that  day,  he  sat  beside  the  assistant  purser, 
while  the  first-cabin  passengers  were  called  up,  one 
by  one,  to  make  it  clear  that  they  were  entitled  to 
land  in  America.     The  questions  are  always  search- 


THE  SUBSTITUTE  SENTRY         251 

ing,  for  the  immigration  laws  are  very  strict  and 
there  are  many  spaces  to  be  filled  in  on  the  great 
blanks  which  the  immigration  bureau  furnishes;  but 
that  day  they  were  more  searching  than  ever  —  so 
far,  at  least,  as  the  male  passengers  were  concerned. 
In  the  women,  Pachmann  did  not  interest  himself, 
for  he  took  it  for  granted  that  no  woman  could  have 
struck  Schroeder  senseless  with  a  single  blow;  but  on 
every  man  he  directed  the  severest  scrutiny. 

Even  if  the  name  had  been  checked  by  the  Cap- 
tain or  purser  on  the  list  he  held  in  his  hand,  he 
never  failed  to  satisfy  himself  by  a  few  questions; 
and  the  unfortunate  possessors  of  the  names  before 
which  a  cross  appeared  had  reason  to  remember  that 
interrogation  all  their  lives.  With  some  three  or 
four  of  them,  the  interrogation  was  continued  in  pri- 
vate and  even  extended  to  a  search  of  their  belong- 
ings and  a  scrutiny  of  every^  document  in  their 
possession;  but,  while  some  of  them  were  forced  to 
confess  at  last  that  they  were  adventurers,  gamblers, 
with  only  such  means  of  livelihood  as  their  wits  pro- 
cured them,  there  was  nothing  to  show  that  any  of 
them  was  the  agent  of  any  government. 

All  day  Saturday  the  examination  was  continued, 
and  by  dinner-time  the  first-class  list  was  completed, 
much  to  the  relief  of  the  passengers,  who  came  away 
from  the  interrogation  with  ruffled  tempers  and  a 
feeling  of  humiliation.      All  sorts  of  rumours  were 


252  THE  DESTROYER 

afloat  among  them.  There  was  an  absconder  on 
board,  a  murderer,  a  political  refugee,  an  eloping 
couple  —  the  customs  authorities  had  got  wind  of 
the  fact  that  there  was  a  celebrated  smuggler  on 
board,  and  every  passenger  was  to  be  searched  when 
he  reached  the  pier  —  the  rumours  ran  the  gamut 
of  all  crimes  and  all  scandals,  and  made  every  one 
extremely  uncomfortable,  but  none  of  them  touched 
the  truth. 

And  Pachmann  had  to  confess  himself,  thus  far, 
defeated.  There  remained  the  second-class,  and  he 
determined  to  scrutinise  it  even  more  closely  than  he 
had  the  first.  The  thought  that  he  might  fail,  after 
all,  dismayed  him.  To  fail  meant  disgrace — per- 
sonal, irremediable  disgrace ;  it  meant  the  betrayal  of 
his  Emperor;  worse  than  that,  in  his  failure  France 
would  triumph !  He  trembled  with  anguish  —  not 
wholly  for  himself,  for  he  was  a  brave  man  and  a 
patriot  —  but  for  his  Fatherland. 

So  Saturday  evening  came,  and  with  it  the  hour  of 
the  second  conference. 

For  the  other  personages  of  this  story,  those  two 
days  had  been  rather  eventless  ones.  The  weather 
continued  fine  and  the  great  ship  ploughed  steadily 
westward.  The  passengers  got  to  know  each  other; 
little  cliques  were  formed,  centring  about  mutual 
acquaintances;  there  were  card-parties,  dances,  the 


THE  SUBSTITUTE  SENTRY         253 

inevitable  concert,  dinners  in  the  cafe,  the  usual 
pools,  the  usual  night-long  games  of  poker,  the  usual 
excitements  of  passing  ships  and  schools  of  dolphins 
—  in  a  word,  the  usual  procession  of  trivial  incidents 
which  make  up  life  on  a  great  liner. 

But  in  this  life,  Ignace  Vard  and  his  daughter 
had  no  part.  Their  meals  were  served  in  their  sit- 
ting-room, so  that  they  missed  that  great  acquaint- 
ance-maker, the  dinner  table.  Kasia,  remembering 
the  warning  she  had  received,  kept  aloof  from  every 
one;  and  Yard's  ironical  manner  was  enough  to  keep 
every  one  aloof  from  him.  However  he  did  not  no- 
tice it,  for  he  had  discovered,  among  the  books  in  the 
library,  three  novels  by  Mr.  John  Galsworthy,  and 
they  absorbed  him.  He  had  been  looking  through 
the  books  rather  hopelessly,  when  the  title,  "  The 
Island  Pharisees,"  had  caught  his  eye.  He  opened 
the  book,  read  a  page,  took  it  to  his  room  and  fin- 
ished it  at  a  sitting.  Its  irony  expressed  him  pre- 
cisely, and  over  the  letter  of  apology  and  adieu  from 
the  wandering  Frenchman  to  the  lady  of  the  manor 
he  fairly  wept  with  joy.  After  that  came  "  Fra- 
ternity "  and  **  The  Man  of  Property,"  so  that  for 
him  the  two  days  passed  quickly.  One  thing  about 
these  books  he  could  not  understand  —  that  they 
should  have  been  written  by  an  Englishman ! 

Kasia  did  not  return  to  the  rendezvous  on  the 
after    boat-deck.     Something    held    her    back  —  an 


254  THE  DESTROYER 

emotion  of  shyness  new  to  her.  But  on  Saturday 
afternoon,  Dan  ran  the  blockade  of  the  after  com- 
panion-way, penetrated  brazenly  to  the  first-class 
promenade,  joined  her  where  she  stood  leaning 
against  the  rail,  and  led  her  away  resolutely  to  a 
seat  on  the  upper  deck. 

"  Is  this  the  way  to  treat  an  old  friend?  '*  he  de- 
manded. "  Are  you  aware  that  I  sat  for  hours,  last 
night  .  .  y 

She  laid  a  warning  finger  on  his  sleeve. 

"  We  must  not  run  any  risk,"  she  said,  in  a  low 
tone.  "  No  one  must  suspect  that  we  know  each 
other." 

His  face  brightened.  She  had  accepted  the  term 
"  old  friend,"  without  appearing  surprised  by  it. 

"  Was  that  the  reason?  " 

She  nodded. 

"You  wanted  to  come?" 

Another  nod. 

Dan  breathed  a  long  sigh  of  happiness. 

"  That  makes  it  all  right,"  he  said.  "  I  forgive 
you.  And  after  you're  ashore  I  may  come  to  see 
you?" 

"  Certainly  you  may!  " 

"  What  is  your  address?  " 

"  Two  hundred  and  ten  West  Sixty-fourth  Street." 

He  made  a  note  of  it. 

"  May  I  come  the  first  evening?  " 


THE  SUBSTITUTE  SENTRY         255 

She  laughed  a  delicious  laugh  —  a  laugh  of  pure 
joy.  There  was  nothing  of  the  coquette  about  Kasla. 
She  was  all  woman. 

'*  If  you  wish,"  she  said. 

"  Thank  you  —  I  do  wish.  Besides,  I  shall  have 
something  to  return  to  you." 

'*  Hush !  "  she  cautioned,  with  a  frightened  glance 
around.  *'  Do  not  speak  of  it.  And  I  must  be  go- 
ing.    We  must  not  sit  here  so  long  together." 

He  sighed. 

**  I  suppose  you  are  right,"  he  agreed.  "But 
€very  evening  I  shall  sit  on  a  certain  bench  and  think 
of  you.  And,  remember,  the  first  evening  on  land  is 
mine." 

"  I  shall  remember." 

''  Good-bye  till  then,"  he  said,  and  rose, 

*'  Good-bye,  my  friend." 

Her  eyes  were  shining.  He  dared  not  trust  him- 
self to  look  at  them  a  second  time,  but  turned  him- 
self about,  by  main  force,  as  It  were,  and  marched 
himself  off,  straight  along  the  deck,  down  the  ladder, 
and  up  again  to  **  a  certain  bench." 

And  there,  presently,  M.  Chevrlal  joined  him,  but 
for  once  Dan  found  that  witty  Frenchman  something 
of  a  bore. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE  SECOND  CONFERENCE 

Again  a  rope  was  stretched  across  the  forward  prom- 
enade, and,  for  the  information  of  the  curious,  a 
sign  attached  to  it  bearing  the  single  word  "  Paint." 
Again  a  guard  was  stationed  in  front  of  the  Cap- 
tain's cabin,  but  this  time  it  consisted  of  two  petty 
officers.  Again  the  Captain  surprised  his  subordi- 
nates by  mounting  to  the  bridge,  although  the  night 
was'  clear  and  fine.  They  noticed  that  he  was  lost 
in  thought,  and  that  he  went'  often  to  the  head  of  the 
ladder  leading  to  the  deck  and  glanced  down  it.  The 
second  officer  was  on  duty,  and  he  took  occasion  to 
look  down,  too,  on  one  of  his  turns  along  the  bridge, 
but  all  he  could  see  was  a  stretch  of  empty  deck  and 
two  petty  officers  leaning  against  the  rail  chatting 
together.  The  second  officer  wondered  more  and 
more  at  his  commander's  uneasiness,  and  surrepti- 
tiously inspected  the  barometer,  tapping  it  with  his 
finger;  but  he  knew  better  than  to  ask  any  ques- 
tions. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  Captain's  cabin,  Vard,  Pach- 
mann  and  the  Prince  again  faced  each  other.  Per- 
haps It  would  be  more  exact  to  say  that  Vard  and 

256 


THE  SECOND  CONFERENCE        257 

Pachmann  faced  each  other,  while  the  Prince  looked 
on  from  the  side-lines.  In  the  heart  of  that  young 
gentleman,  for  the  past  three  days,  there  had  been 
a  strange  distress,  hitherto  unknown  among  Hohen- 
zollerns  —  the  distress  of  realising  that,  if  truth 
were  told,  he  was  a  poor  thing  who  added  not 
to  the  wealth  of  the  world,  but  to  its  poverty;  who 
was  unable  to  support  himself,  but  to  support  whom 
men  and  women  and  children  toiled  and  starved. 

He  had  never  seen  it  just  like  that  before;  reared 
in  the  family  tradition,  it  had  seemed  a  law  of  nature 
that  he  should  have  subjects  to  work  for  him  and 
suffer  for  him  and  die  for  him,  if  need  be;  he  had 
been  taught  that  it  was  God  himself  who  had  given 
place  and  power  to  his  house;  and  that,  if  other  less- 
favoured  people  lived  in  misery  and  died  in  want, 
why  that  was  doubtless  God's  will,  too.  And  as  for 
war  —  why,  without  war  there  could  be  no  glory, 
no  conquest,  no  chivalry.  It  was  war  which  held  a 
^nation  together,  which  made  Kings  more  powerful 
and  thrones  more  stable !  But  now  came  a  man  with 
shining  eyes  who  talked  of  the  sinful  folly  of  war, 
of  the  wanton  waste  of  armies;  who  dreamed  of  uni- 
versal brotherhood,  and  a  world  governed  by  love  I 
Wild  words,  foolish  dreams,  perhaps  —  and  yet 
most  dangerous  to  the  idea  of  the  divine  right  of 
Kings  I  So,  that  evening,  the  Prince  sat  and  listened, 
and  tried  to  understand. 


258  THE  DESTROYER 

It  was  Pachmann  who  did  most  of  the  talking,  and 
a  great  deal  of  it  was  for  the  Prince's  benefit. 

"  We  have  been  considering  your  proposal,  Mr. 
Vard,"  he  began,  "  and  have  discussed  it  thoroughly." 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  had  not  exchanged  a  word 
with  the  Prince  on  the  subject;  he  had  distrusted  him 
ever  since  Vard  had  offered  him  his  hand,  for  that 
action  showed  that  this  anarchist,  this  socialist,  this 
enemy  of  Kings,  had  detected  in  this  young  descend- 
ant of  Kings  sympathy  and  a  certain  understand- 
ing. Pachmann  thought  of  it  with  disgust  and  hor- 
ror. 

"  We  have  discussed  it  thoroughly,"  Pachmann  re- 
peated, and  the  Prince,  who  detected  the  contempt  in 
the  words,  flushed  hotly,  but  did  not  speak;  "and 
there  are  certain  objections  to  your  plan  which  we 
wish  to  submit  to  you.  The  first  of  these  is  that  war 
does  not  depend  upon  explosives.  Before  gunpow- 
der, men  fought  with  swords  and  lances  and  arrows; 
before  the  discovery  of  iron  and  steel,  with  clubs  and 
stones.  Man  has  always  been  fighting,  even  when 
he  had  no  weapons  but  his  fists." 

"  That  is  true,"  assented  Vard.     "  Pray  continue." 

"  My  argument  is,"  went  on  Pachmann,  dropping 
the  plural  once  for  all,  "  that,  though  you  may  render 
all  explosives  useless,  and  blow  up  forts  and  battle- 
ships and  arsenals,  you'  will  not  stop  war.  You  will 
merely  compel  it  to  shift  to  another  basis  —  to  the 


THE  SECOND  CONFERENCE        259 

old  basis,  probably,  of  brute  strength,  of  hand-to- 
hand  combat.  And  if  you  do  that,  the  old  days  will 
return  of  barbarian  invasions.  The  Turk  will  sweep 
down  again  on  southern  Europe;  the  Tartars  will 
invade  us  from  the  east.  You  will  not  assist  civilisa- 
tion ;  you  will  set  it  back  a  thousand  years.  It  will 
have  to  fight  again  for  its  very  existence,  as  it  did  in 
the  Middle  Ages." 

But  Vard  shook  his  head. 

"  I  have  thought  of  that,"  he  said.  "  In  the  first 
place,  it  will  be  permitted  to  continue  the  use  of  ex- 
plosives against  the  barbarians  —  for  defence,  you 
understand,  not  for  aggression  —  until  such  time  as 
we  can  persuade  them,  too,  to  lay  down  their  arms. 
As  to  your  other  objection,  it  falls  to  the  ground  the 
moment  you  agree  with  me  that  all  th«  nations  of 
the  world  must  ultimately  become  democracies.  At 
first,  it  is  true,  men  fought  of  their  own  volition,  but 
it  was  to  secure  food,  to  guard  their  homes,  or  to 
replenish  their  supply  of  women.  But  since  those 
very  early  days,  all  wars  have  been  wars  not  of  the 
people,  but  of  their  rulers.  They  were  wars  of  re* 
venge  or  of  ambition,  in  which  the  people  joined  be- 
cause they  had  no  choice.  They  were  driven  into 
the  ranks,  were  sometimes  sold  by  one  power  to  fight 
for  another.  Left  to  their  own  choice,  they  would 
have  remained  quietly  at  home,  tilling  their  fields, 
rearing  their  families.     The  only  great  exception  I 


26o  THE  DESTROYER 

know  of  is  the  early  wars  of  Napoleon.  To  those 
wars,  the  French  people  did  undoubtedly  rush;  but 
they  were  still  drunk  from  the  Revolution,  and  their 
ardour  soon  passed.  Your  own  people,  the  people 
of  Germany,  are  a  peaceable,  home-loving  people. 
You  have  always  had  to  keep  them  under  your  thumb 
by  forced  service,  by  conscription,  by  the  most  rigor- 
ous laws;  you  have  always  had  to  drive  them  to 
war." 

'*  Another  exception  occurs  to  me,"  said  Pach- 
mann,  disregarding  the  last  sentence,  "  and  one  to 
which  I  would  call  your  attention,  since  it  occurred 
in  a  country  where  the  people  are  supposed  to  gov- 
ern. It  was  the  people  of  the  United  States  who 
drove  their  rulers  into  the  war  with  Spain." 

"  That  is  true,"  Vard  agreed;  "  and  it  was  a  mis- 
take. The  people  will  sometimes  err  when  their 
sympathy  is  appealed  to  and  their  passion  aroused. 
But  the  results  of  that  war  were,  on  the  whole,  good. 
A  people  was  freed." 

"  And  another  enslaved,"  said  Pachmann,  with  a 
$neer. 

"  It  was  already  enslaved,"  Vard  corrected;  "  but 
I  admit  that  it  was  continued  in  slavery.  That  was 
done  by  the  rulers,  not  by  the  people.  Had  the  peo- 
ple been  permitted  to  decide,  the  Philippines  would 
have  been  free,  no  less  than  Cuba.     Their  independ- 


THE  SECOND  CONFERENCE        261 

ence  must,  of  course,  be  guaranteed  when  the  United 
States  signs  our  treaty." 

"  But  you  admit,  as  I  understand  you,"  said  Pach- 
mann,  returning  to  the  main  point,  "  that  to  abolish 
explosives  will  not  abolish  war." 

**  I  admit  that,  yes.  To  abolish  explosives  is  only 
the  first  step.  The  final  step  will  be  the  abolition  of 
Hereditary  rule." 

"  The  abolition  of  Kings?" 

"  The  abolition  of  Kings,  of  Emperors,  of  Czars, 
of  Princes,  of  Dukes,  of  all  tyrants,  great  and  small, 
who,  by  reason  of  birth,  now  claim  the  right  to  tax 
or  oppress  or  command  even  the  meanest  of  their 
fellow-creatures.  There  must  be  rulers,  yes;  but  it 
is  for  the  people  themselves  to  choose  them,  and  then 
willingly  to  submit  to  them." 

**  But  you  are  at  this  moment  treating  with  a 
King,"  Pachmann  pointed  out.  "  Can  you  expect 
him  to  agree  to  such  a  programme?  " 

"  The  world  has  outgrown  Kings,"  retorted  Vard. 
**  In  any  event,  another  fifty  years  will  see  them  all 
abolished.  I  but  hasten  the  efid  a  little  —  the  mil- 
lennium. And  he  will  be  happier  when  he  is  merely 
a  man  like  other  men." 

*'  Happiness  is  not  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world,** 
Pachmann  objected. 

"  And  I  say  it  is  I  "  cried  Vard,  with  sudden  vio- 


262  THE  DESTROYER 

lence.  "  Not  our  own  happiness  —  no;  but  the  hap- 
piness of  our  fellow-creatures.  That  is  the  greatest 
thing  in  the  world;  the  thing  for  which  every  wise 
and  good  man  labours !  '* 

There  was  a  moment's  silence.  The  Prince  shifted 
uneasily  in  his  chair  and  clasped  and  unclasped  his 
hands.  There  had  never  been  such  talk  as  this  in 
th'e  royal  nursery ! 

Pachmann's  face  was  cynical,  as  he  lighted  a  fresh 
cigar. 

"Dreams!"  he  sneered.  "Beautiful  dreams! 
Do  you  know  what  It  is  you  are  undertaking?  You 
are  undertaking  to  change  human  nature." 

"  That  is  an  old  cry,"  retorted  Vard  scornfully. 
"  And  what  if  I  were?  Human  nature  is  changing 
every  day!  But  I  am  not  undertaking  to  change  it 
—  I  wish  merely  to  free  human  nature  from  the  fet- 
ters with  which  tyrants  bind  it,  so  that  it  may  grow 
straight  and  strong,  as  God  intended." 

"  I  am  not  acquainted  with  God's  Intentions,"  said 
Pachmann  coldly.  "  He  does  not  confide  in  me. 
But  my  philosophy,  my  observation,  and  my  experi- 
ence teach  me  that  the  wise  man  makes  the  best  of 
things  as  they  are,  accepts  the  facts  of  life,  and  does 
what  he  can.  He  sees  that  the  world  is  too  big  for 
him  to  overturn,  he  realises  that  there  are  many 
things  he  cannot  understand,  his  intelligence  some- 
times revolts  at  what  seems  to  be  oppression  and  in- 


THE  SECOND  CONFERENCE        263 

justice.     But  he  puts  away  from  him  the  fallacy  that 

all  men  are  equal  —  they  are  not  equal,  their  very 

inequality  proves  It.     Some  must  rule  and  some  be 

ruled;  for  some  life  must  be  pleasanter  and  more  full 

of  meaning  than  It  Is  for  others;  some  men  must  be 

strong  and  some  weak,  just  as  some  women  are  beau- 

;  tiful  and  some  ugly.     It  Is  not  their  fault;  It  Is  their 

'   misfortune,  and  they  suffer  for  It.     Which  brings  me 

'   to  the  principal  objection  I  have  to  your  proposal.     It 

is  this:     I  believe  that  we  shall  find  It  a  mere  waste 

of  time  to  invite  the  nations  of  the  world  to  sign  a 

[  treaty  for  complete  disarmament  f  they  distrust  each 

other,  and  that  distrust  has  proved  too  often  to  be 

well-founded.     The  long  centuries  have  made  them 

jealous,  sullen,  watchful.     There  is  only  one  motive 

{  which  can  make  them  sign  —  fear  —  fear  of  what 

may  happen  If  they  do  not  I '* 
,        "  I  have  already  said,*'  remarked  Vard,  "  that  I 
.  am  ready  to  apply  compulsion,  should  It  be  neces- 
sary." 

"  But  you  are  finite,"  Pachmann  objected,  gently. 
"  You  are  but  an  individual,  whose  life  may  end  at 
any  moment;  while,  as  you  yourself  have  said,  this 
plan  of  yours  will  take  long  years,  generations  per- 
haps, to  consummate.  To  perfect  it  will  test  the 
best  Intellects  of  the  world.  Once  begun,  it  must  be 
carried  through.  Do  you  think  It  wise  to  imperil 
its  success  by  making  it  depend  so  largely  on  your- 


264  THE  DESTROYER 

self?  Besides,  what  would  be  easier  than  for  an  un- 
willing nation  to  suppress  you?  A  pistol-shot,  a 
blow  with  a  knife,  and  the  brotherhood  of  man  tum- 
bles to  pieces." 

"  What  Is  it  you  propose?  "  asked  Vard,  who  had 
listened  to  all  this  with  growing  impatience. 

"  I  propose  that,  Instead  of  so  great  a  task  being 
assumed  by  an  individual,  It  be  assumed  by  an  entire 
nation,  which  shall  pledge  its  honour  to  carry  it  to 
success." 

"  And  this  nation,"  said  Vard,  sarcastically, 
"  should,  of  course.  In  your  opinion,  be  Germany." 

"  I  admit,"  replied  Pachmann,  with  dignity,  "  that 
I  consider  Germany  best-fitted  to  carry  out  the  plan. 
I  think  you  will  agree  with  me  that,  if  a  single  nation 
is  to  undertake  it,  it  must  be  one  of  the  five  great 
nations.  In  world-politics,  the  others  are  negligible. 
Well,  let  us  see.  France,  a  nation  of  peacocks,  ex- 
citable, impressionable,  easily  angered,  making  much 
of  trifles,  jealous  of  their  dignity,  a  dying  nation 
which  grows  smaller  and  weaker  every  year.  Eng- 
land, also  a  degenerate  nation,  soaked  in  gin,  where 
a  hundred  thousand  men  are  unemployed,  and  where 
no  better  remedy  for  pauperism  can  be  found  than 
universal  pensions,  which  only  make  more  paupers. 
Russia,  an  ignorant  nation,  whose  ruling  class  Is  com- 
posed of  men  without  morals  and  without  Ideals  — 
thieves  and  drunkards  and  vain  braggarts.     There 


THE  SECOND  CONFERENCE        265 

remains  America,  and  at  first  glance  it  might  seem 
that  here  Is  the  nation  to  be  entrusted  with  the  great 
work.  But,  after  all,  it  Is  a  nation  of  money-grub- 
bers, ruled  by  a  money-trust,  where  wealth  is  wor- 
shipped as  no  other  nation  worships  rank;  a  nation 
without  culture,  without  experience  in  world-politics, 
without  self-control,  loudly  vain,  Inept,  wasteful, 
childish  —  a  nation,  in  other  words,  at  the  awkward 
age  between  youth  and  manhood.  ^ 

"  Let  us  now  turn  to  Germany.  I  speak  only  what 
is  within  the  knowledge  of  all  intelligent  men  when 
I  say  that  in  manufacture.  In  agriculture.  In  the  ad- 
ministration of  government,  In  science,  in  literature, 
in  music,  in  general  culture,  Germany  is  first  among 
nations.  Some  may  quarrel  with  her  military  policy, 
but  none  can  question  her  progress  or  her  achieve- 
ments. All  other  nations  come  to  Germany  to  learn. 
This  is  not  exaggeration ;  it  is  calm  statement  of  fact. 
I  firmly  believe  that  to-day,  intellectually,  morally, 
materially,  Germany  is  the  first  nation  in  the  world. 
And  it  Is  altogether  fitting  that  she  should  be  chosen 
as  the  leader  of  the  world  and  arbiter  of  the  affairs 
of  all  nations." 

Vard  had  risen  from  his  seat  during  this  discourse, 
which  was  delivered  with  emphasis  and  conviction, 
and  paced  nervously  up  and  down  the  cabin,  his  face 
drawn,  a  deep  line  between  his  brows.  And  Pach- 
mann   watched   him    curiously.     So   did  the   Prince 


266  THE  DESTROYER 

watch  him,  wondering  what  he  would  reply.     He 
did  not  leave  them  long  in  doubt. 

**  In  answer  to  you,  Admiral  Pachmann,"  he  said, 
speaking  slowly  and  carefully,  as  though  weighing 
every  word,  "  I  can  only  say  this:  I  do  not  dispute 
Germany's  great  achievements;  no  man  can  do  that. 
It  is  probably  true  that  in  science,  in  learning,  in 
general  culture,  and  in  efficiency,  she  is,  as  you  say, 
first  among  nations.  Her  people  are  a  great  people 
—  but  it  is  not  them  you  represent.  You  represent 
an  hereditary  monarch,  the  only  one  in  western  Eu- 
rope who  still  speaks  of  the  divine  right  of  Kings  — 
a  man  who  would  be  an  absolute  autocrat,  if  he  dared. 
Supporting  him  is  a  powerful  circle  of  hereditary  no- 
bles, whose  interest  It  is  to  Increase  in  every  possible 
way  the  prestige  and  power  of  the  throne.  At  their 
command,  ready  to  do  their  bidding,  is  a  magnificent 
army  and  a  great  navy.  Did  your  Emperor  possess 
my  secret,  he  could  at  once  declare  war  against  Eu- 
rope; he  could  conquer  Europe,  and  every  German 
Prince  would  be  a  King.  My  whole  purpose  would 
be  warped  and  debased.  Instead  of  universal  broth- 
erhood, we  should  have  a  single  ruling  house,  impos- 
ing Its  will  on  millions  of  conquered  peoples.  In- 
stead of  love,  we  should  have  world-wide  hate.  And 
I  say  to  you  plainly,  sir,  that,  rather  than  that  such 
a  thing  should  come  to  pass,  I  will  destroy  my  inven- 
tion and  leave  the  world  as  It  Is." 


THE  SECOND  CONFERENCE        267 

Pachmann  had  listened  intently,  nodding  his  head 
from  time  to  time,  or  puckering  his  brows  in  dissent. 

"Have  you  yourself  no  ambition?"  he  asked. 
**  Is  there  nothing  in  the  way  of  honour  or  position 
which  you  desire  for  yourself  or  for  your  daugh- 
ter?" 

An  ugly  sneer  curled  the  inventor's  lips. 

"Bribery  —  I  expected  that!"  he  said.  "No, 
there  is  nothing  —  nothing  but  the  consciousness  that 
it  was  I  who  ended  war!  " 

"  And  your  refusal  of  my  first  proposal  is  abso- 
lute?" 

"  Absolute.     I  consider  it  insulting." 

"  You  will  not  modify  the  terms  of  your  pro- 
posal?" 

"  Not  in  any  essential  detail." 

**  And  if  Germany  refuses,  you  go  to  France?  " 

"  That  is  my  intention." 

"  Very  well,"  and  the  Admiral  rose,  too.  "  The 
situation  is,  then,  quite  clear  to  us;  there  is  no  longer 
any  shadow  of  uncertainty.  It  is  for  us  to  assent  or 
to  refuse.  Our  answer  will  be  ready  for  you  in  a 
very  short  time." 

Vard  bowed,  his  face  very  pale,  and  stepped  to  the 
door.     He  paused  with  his  hand  on  the  knob. 

"  Remember  one  thing,"  he  said;  "  it  will  be  bet- 
ter for  Germany  to  lead  than  to  follow;  your  Em- 
peror will  find  the  head  of  the  procession  much  more 


268   ,  THE  DESTROYER 

to  his  taste  than  the  tall  of  it.  And  it  will  be  for 
him  either  the  one  or  the  other!  Good  night!  "  and 
he  opened  the  door  and  was  gone. 

Pachmann  stood  with  clenched  fists  and  flushed 
face  staring  at  the  spot  where  Vard  had  stood. 

*'  Fool!  fool!  ''  he  muttered.  "  That  he  should 
think  he  could  defy  and  threaten  —  and  still  escape  1 
A  great  fool,  Is  he  not,  my  Prince?  '' 

The  Prince  awoke,  as  from  a  dream. 

"  Great,  at  least!  *'  he  said. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  PRINCE  SEEKS  DIVERSION 

In  spite  of  his  protestations  and  the  confident  man- 
ner he  assumed  when  with  the  Prince,  Pachmann  was, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  exceedingly  disturbed.  It  was 
true  that  for  an  individual  as  humble  as  Ignace  Vard 
to  hope  to  stand  against  the  might  of  the  German 
Empire  was  absurd  In  the  extreme;  but  perhaps  Vard 
was  not  alone.  Perhaps  back  of  him  there  was  some 
person  or  some  power  at  which  even  Germany  would 
pause. 

Two  incidents  had  been  distinctly  disquieting:  the 
wireless  from  Lepine  and  the  assault  on  Schroeder. 
The  thing  which  filled  Pachmann  with  dismay  was 
not  so  much  these  incidents  themselves  as  the  degree 
of  knowledge  they  Indicated.  Why  did  Lepine  think 
Vard  was  on  the  boat?  How  had  he  connected  the 
inventor  with  the  disaster  at  Toulon?  How  had 
the  person  who  assaulted  Schroeder  known  of  the 
conference  in  the  Captain's  cabin?  How  much  had 
he  heard  of  that  conference?  What  use  would  he 
make  of  what  he  had  heard?  In  a  word,  did  France 
suspect  what  had  happened  to  La  Liberie,  and,  if 
so,  how  much  did  she  know? 

269 


270  THE  DESTROYER 

A  hundred  times  Pachmann  asked  himself  these 
questions,  and  a  hundred  times  tried  to  find  some 
answer  to  them  other  than  the  obvious  answer.  He 
tried  to  persuade  himself  that  Lepine  had  not  con- 
nected Vard  with  the  Toulon  disaster,  but  was  search- 
ing for  him  for  some  other  reason;  he  tried  to  make 
himself  believe  that  the  assault  on  Schroeder  was 
merely  the  result  of  a  seaman's  quarrel;  he  told  him- 
self over  and  over  again  that  France  could  not  sus- 
pect, that  it  was  impossible  she  should  suspect.  But 
he  could  not  convince  himself.  Always  he  came 
back  to  the  obvious  fact  that,  if  Vard  was  wanted  at 
all,  it  could  only  be  for  the  affair  at  Toulon,  and  that 
the  man  who  had  taken  Schroeder's  place  at  the  door 
of  the  Captain's  cabin  could  only  have  done  so  be- 
cause he  wanted  to  hear  what  was  passing  on  the 
other  side  of  it. 

Always,  with  sinking  heart,  Pachmann  came  back 
to  this  point;  and  at  such  moments  he  wondered 
whether,  after  all,  the  Emperor  would  not  do  well 
to  lay  aside  his  personal  ambition,  to  consent  to 
Yard's  proposal  and  assume  the  leadership  of  this 
great  world-movement,  in  all  good  faith.  Surely  that 
would  be  glory  enough !  Better,  as  Vard  had  said, 
to  lead  than  to  follow;  better  to  stand  proudly  forth 
at  the  head  of  the  movement  than  to  be  whipped  into 
place  in  the  rear.     What  humiliation ! 

And  suppose  Vard  should  manage  to  escape;  sup- 


THE  PRINCE  SEEKS  DIVERSION     271 

pose  he  should  really  get  into  touch  with  France! 
Pachmann,  closing  his  eyes,  could  see  a  great  fortress 
leaping  into  the  air;  could  hear  the  thunder  of  the 
explosion  which  destroyed  a  dreadnought!  It  was 
a  dangerous  game  he  was  playing,  and  yet,  to  accede 
to  Yard's  proposal  meant  the  loss  of  Alsace-Lorraine, 
meant  the  eventual  abasement  of  the  Hohenzollerns, 
the  rise  of  socialism.  No,  he  could  not  consent;  he 
had  not  the  power  to  consent;  he  had  his  instructions, 
precise  and  clear,  from  the  Emperor  himself.  At 
any  cost,  that  power  must  be  his,  and  his  alone  I 

At  any  cost!  Pachmann  drew  a  deep  breath.  He 
knew  now  what  the  cost  must  be.  Well,  when  the 
moment  came,  he  should  not  hesitate! 

Sunday  morning  found  Pachmann  beside  the  as- 
sistant purser  in  the  library  of  the  second-cabin,  be- 
ginning the  inquiry  there.  It  was  even  more  dras- 
tic than  it  had  been  in  the  first,  and  the  victims 
emerged  from  it  heated,  angry,  and  with  the  fixed 
determination  never  again  to  travel  by  a  German 
boat.  Neither  the  Captain  nor  the  purser  could 
vouch  for  any  of  the  undistinguished  people  here, 
and  so  each  one  of  them  was  most  thoroughly  exam- 
ined. Even  those  with  passports  did  not  escape. 
Pachmann  examined  all  such  documents  minutely, 
compared  the  written  description  point  by  point  with 
the  appearance  of  the  passenger,  and  asked  many 
questions  to  satisfy  himself  that  the  person  present- 


272  THE  DESTROYER 

ing  It  was  really  the  one  to  whom  It  belonged.  Yet, 
In  spite  of  all  this,  passenger  after  passenger  came 
through  the  ordeal  successfully. 

As  the  list  was  called  alphabetically,  It  was  soon  the 
turn  of  M.  Chevrlal.  He  approached  the  table  with 
confidence,  produced  his  passport,  and  sat  down  to 
await  such  questions  as  might  be  asked  him.  Pach- 
mann  glanced  at  the  Frenchman  and  his  eyes  nar- 
rowed with  anger,  for  this  Impudent  person  appeared 
to  be  amused  at  the  proceedings!  Then  he  picked 
up  the  passport  and  studied  It  carefully.  It  had  been 
issued  by  the  French  government  two  months  previ- 
ously, as  a  renewal  of  a  former  passport,  to  Andre 
Chevrlal,  wine-merchant,  of  i8  Rue  des  Chantlers, 
Paris;  whose  appearance  and  physical  characteristics 
were  described  In  detail.  Pachmann  compared  the 
items  of  the  description  point  by  point  with  the  man 
who  sat  smiling  so  shamelessly  before  him,  answer- 
ing the  purser's  questions  In  an  ironical  voice.  The 
very  fact  that  the  man  was  so  typically  French  and 
so  plainly  amused  created  In  Pachmann's  mind  a  flair 
of  suspicion  which  dilated  his  nostrils  and  narrowed 
his  eyes.  But  the  passport  was  In  perfect  order,  and 
Chevrlars  answers  came  without  hesitation. 

"  You  are  a  wine-merchant?  '* 

"  Yes." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  in  that  business  ?  '* 


THE  PRINCE  SEEKS  DIVERSION     273 

**  More  years  than  I  care  to  remember." 

"  That  Is  not  an  answer." 

**  Let  us  say  twenty  years,  then." 

"Always  at  Paris?  " 

**  The  time  before  that  did  not  count." 

*'  Then  you  have  not  been  always  at  Paris?  " 

*'  Heavens,  no!  First  at  Bordeaux;  but  for  ten 
years  at  Paris." 

"  You  are  well-known  there?  " 

"  Ask  my  neighbours  in  the  Rue  des  Chantiers;  or 
cross  the  street  to  the  wine-market  and  ask  any  one 
there  if  he  knows  Andre  Chevrial!  Well  known? 
But  yes!" 

*'  Is  this  your  first  visit  to  America?  " 

*'  Oh,  no;  nor  my  second.  But  it  is  my  first  trip 
on  a  boat  of  Germany,  and  will  be  my  last.  On  the 
French  boats,  my  compatriots  know  me.  They  do 
not'annoy  me  with  all  these  questions." 

It  was  Pachmann  who  asked  the  next  one. 

"  How  does  it  happen  that  you  travel  this  time 
by  a  German  boat?  " 

Chevrial  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  Because  there  was  no  French  one.  It  is  neces- 
sary that  I  be  in  New  York  on  Wednesday.  There 
was  no  other  boat  that  would  arrive  in  time.  Had 
there  been,  I  would  have  taken  it." 

**  So  you  do  not  like  German  boats?  " 


274  THE  DESTROYER 

"  I  like  nothing  German,"  said  Chevrial,  calmly. 
"  Least  of  all,  this  inquisition,  which,  it  seems  to  me, 
demands  some  explanation." 

"  It  is  for  the  immigration  bureau,"  the  purser 
hastened  to  explain.  **  The  American  laws  are  very 
strict." 

"  The  laws  do  not  concern  me.  I  am  not  an  im- 
migrant. I  am  merely  one  who  goes  on  business  and 
who  returns.  My  papers  are  in  order,  are  they 
not?" 

The  purser  was  forced  to  confess  that  they  were. 

**  Then,"  said  Chevrial,  returning  them  to  his 
pocket,  "  if  there  are  any  further  questions  to  be  an- 
swered, I  will  wait  until  I  get  to  the  pier  at  New  York 
to  answer  them.  I  shall  at  least  have  the  pleasure 
of  talking  to  an  American !  "  and  he  got  up  and  left 
the  library. 

Pachmann  was  furious;  but  he  had  no  excuse  for 
holding  the  fellow,  nor  for  examining  his  baggage. 
In  search  of  such  excuse,  he  despatched  a  wireless  to 
the  agent  of  his  government  at  Brussels,  directing 
him  to  secure  at  once  all  the  information  available 
about  Andre  Chevrial,  i8  Rue  des  Chantiers,  Paris; 
and  that  evening  a  very  polite  gentleman  called  at 
the  house  in  question.  It  was  a  tall,  hideous  house, 
with  a  cabaret  on  the  first  floor.  To  its  proprietor 
the  visitor  addressed  himself.  But  yes,  the  proprie- 
tor knew  M.  Chevrial,  a  merchant  of  wine,  who  had 


THE  PRINCE  SEEKS  DIVERSION     275 

honoured  his  house  for  many  years  by  occupying  an 
apartment  on  the  third  floor.  His  prese;nt  where- 
abouts? Ah,  the  proprietor  could  not  say;  M.  Chev- 
rial  made  many  journeys  in  the  interests  of  his  busi- 
ness; he  was  absent  at  the  present  time.  It  was  the 
season  of  his  annual  trip  to  America;  perhaps  he  was 
now  on  his  way  thither.  He  had  left  no  address; 
but  if  monsieur  wished  to  write  a  letter,  it  would  be 
sent  forward  as  soon  as  an  address  was  received. 

The  visitor  declined  to  write  a  letter,  but  left  his 
card  —  or,  at  least,  a  card  —  to  be  given  to  M. 
Chevrial  upon  his  return.  Then  he  took  his  leave. 
And  the  proprietor  stuck  the  card  in  the  frame  of  the 
clouded  mirror  back  of  the  bar,  chuckling  to  himself. 

A  report  of  all  which  Pachmann  duly  received  by 
radio  next  day. 

The  Prince,  meanwhile,  was  finding  the  voyage 
wearisome.  He  was  not  a  difficult  person  to  amuse, 
and  he  was  very  expert  in  the  art  of  killing  time;  he 
had  done  little  else  since  he  emerged  from  the  nurs- 
ery; but  here  on  shipboard  he  possessed  none  of  the 
implements  with  which  he  usually  carried  on  that 
slaughter.  He  could  sit  in  the  smoking-room  with 
a  tall  stein  before  him,  he  could  stroll  about  the  deck 
and  stare  at  the  sea,  which  he  did  not  care  for;  but 
there  was  no  one  to  talk  to.  His  subjects  of  con- 
versation were  limited,  and  all  of  them  were  asso- 


276  THE  DESTROYER 

dated  more  or  less  with  his  princely  character;  here, 
where,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  he  found  himself 
divested  of  that  princely  character,  he  was  completely 
at  a  loss.  The  trouble  was  that  he  had  no  sense  of 
humour.  So  he  found  it  impossible  to  gossip  with 
plebeian  unknowns,  or  engage  in  card-games  with  ir- 
reverent middle-class  artisans  and  drummers.  He 
could  not  even  carry  on  a  flirtation  with  any  of  the! 
pretty  girls !  He  had  attempted  it  with  one  of  them; 
but,  after  a  very  few  minutes,  she  had  left  him  with 
her  chin  in  the  air,  and  an  exclamation  which  sounded 
singularly  like  "  Beast !  "  What  is  gallantry  in  a 
Prince,  is  impertinence  or  worse  in  a  less-privileged 
person ! 

Remember,  our  Prince  was  merely  a  good-natured, 
thick-headed,  young  man,  who  had  always  been  com- 
pelled to  take  himself  seriously,  whose  life  had  been 
ordered  for  him  from  day  to  day  to  its  minutest  de- 
tail ;  who  had  never  been  called  upon  to  use  his  wits 
in  earnest.  There  had  always  been  some  one  to  do 
his  thinking  for  him;  there  had  always  been  the  rou- 
tine of  drill  and  study  to  fill  a  certain  portion  of  every  ^ 
day;  and  there  had  always  been  the  fearful  delight 
of  escaping  from  his  father's  eye  and  roaming  the 
streets  of  Berlin  in  quest  of  adventure.  But  here  on 
shipboard,  the  day  was  twenty- four  empty  hours 
long,  and  even  Pachmann  had  deserted  him,  to  spend 
his  time  asking  the  passengers  interminable  questions, 


THE  PRINCE  SEEKS  DIVERSION     277 

whose  purpose  the  Prince  could  not  in  the  least  under- 
stand. 

So,  on  this  Sunday  morning,  having  attended  the 
services  in  the  dining-saloon  for  want  of  something 
else  to  do,  and  kept  awake  with  great  difficulty,  hav- 
ing smoked  innumerable  cigarettes,  having  snubbed 
an  American  whose  manner  was  distinctly  fresh,  hav- 
ing tramped  up  and  down  the  decks,  and  looked  into 
the  library  to  find  Pachmann  still  asking  questions, 
questions,  the  Prince  made  a  sudden  daring  resolu- 
tion, walked  quickly  forward,  ascended  to  the  first- 
class  promenade,  and  looked  about  for  Ignace  Vard. 
With  the  inventor,  at  least,  he  need  wear  no  disguise, 
and  he  simply  must  talk  to  somebody.  Besides,  the 
inventor's  talk  gave  him  a  good  feeling  at  the  heart 
—  the  feeling  that  he  might  really  some  day  do  some- 
thing worth  while!  Pachmann  would  disapprove, 
of  course;  but  who  was  Pachmann?  A  younger  son 
of  the  inferior  nobility !  He  must  remind  Pachmann 
of  that,  some  day,  for  he  seemed  to  have  forgotten 
It  since  the  Emperor  had  taken  him  up  I 

He  found  the  object  of  his  search  leaning  against 
the  rail,  far  forward,  staring  ahead  at  the  path  the 
ship  was  taking.  Vard  greeted  him  with  evident 
pleasure. 

**  You  have  come  to  arrange  for  the  final  confer- 
ence? "  he  asked. 

The  Prince  shook  his  head. 


278  THE  DESTROYER 

*'  I  know  no  more  of  that  than  you/'  he  said. 

*'  But  I  was  assured  that  your  decision  would  be 
made  at  once.  My  plans  depend  upon  your  answer. 
This  is  Sunday.     On  Tuesday  we  reach  New  York." 

"  I  know  nothing,"  repeated  the  Prince.  "  I  have 
not  spoken  with  the  Admiral  to-day  —  indeed,  I 
have  scarcely  spoken  to  him  for  three  days.  On  Fri- 
day and  Saturday  and  again  to-day,  he  has  spent 
every  moment  in  an  examination  of  the  passengers." 

"  Why  does  he  do  that?  "  asked  Vard  quickly. 

"  I  do  not  know." 

Vard  glanced  at  the  Prince,  and  his  face  softened 
a  little. 

**  So  you  have  been  left  to  amuse  yourself,"  he 
said,  "  and,  not  succeeding  very  well,  have  come  to 
me?     Is  that  it?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Prince;  "  I  must  talk  to  some  one, 
and  I  find  that  I  cannot  talk  with  people  who  do  not 
know  who  I  am.  The  men  offend  me,  the  women  I 
offend." 

This  time  there  was  genuine  friendliness  in  Yard's 
face. 

''Poor  fellow!"  he  laughed.  ''Well,  I  have 
never  acted  as  court  jester,  but  I  am  willing  to  try. 
Come  with  me." 

He  led  the  way  back  along  the  deck  and  opened  a 
door. 

"  This  is  my  room,"  he  said.     "  Come  in.     You 


THE  PRINCE  SEEKS  DIVERSION     279 

should  feel  more  at  home  here  than  I  do,  for  it  is  an 
imperial  suite." 

The  Prince  assented  gravely,  entered,  and  the  in- 
ventor, his  eyes  dancing,  closed  the  door. 

''  Sit  down,"  he  said.  '*  You  may  smoke,"  and  he 
proceeded  to  roll  himself  a  cigarette.  "  This  is  your 
first  visit  to  America?  Yes?  The  first  thing  you 
will  notice  is  that  not  many  Americans  smoke  ciga- 
rettes. Until  quite  recently,  the  cigarette  was  be- 
lieved to  be  in  some  mysterious  way  debauching;  no 
one  but  degenerates  were  supposed  to  use  them. 
Even  yet  that  is  the  prevailing  opinion  outside  a  few 
of  the  large  cities." 

"  Most  curious,"  commented  the  Prince,  and  blew 
a  smoke-ring  toward  the  ceiling. 

**  Outside  of  New  York,  which  is  fairly  cosmopoli- 
tan, there  is  the  same  prejudice  against  wine  or  beer, 
or  any  fermented  or  distilled  spirit.  No  public  man, 
no  teacher  in  a  public  school  or  university,  no  physi- 
cian, no  professional  man  —  no  man,  in  a  word,  who 
depends  upon  public  opinion,  public  approval,  for  a 
livelihood  —  would  dare  sit  at  a  table  on  the  side- 
walk and  drink  a  glass  of  beer  or  a  liqueur.  He 
might  do  it  once,  and  escape  with  the  reputation  of 
an  eccentric;  but  to  do  it  twice  would  be  to  brand 
himself  as  not  trustworthy." 

"  Astonishing  I  "  said  the  Prince.  **  Do  you  speak 
seriously?  " 


28o  THE  DESTROYER 

**  Very  seriously.  Some  of  the  states  have  even 
enacted  laws  that  no  alcoholic  beverage  of  any  kind 
may  be  sold  within  their  borders.'* 

"  But,"  stammered  the  Prince,  staring,  "  do  you 
call  that  liberty?  No  country  of  Europe  would  dare 
enact  such  a  law !  " 

"  No;  it  is  not  liberty;  it  is  government  by  the  ma- 
jority. The  wonderful  thing,  the  astonishing  thing, 
the  inspiring  thing  about  it  is  that  in  this,  and  in  all 
other  questions,  the  minority  accepts  its  defeat  with- 
out grumbling  and  makes  the  best  of  it.  That  is  the 
great  lesson  which  the  United  States  has  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  world.  And,  to  preserve  itself,  it 
need  keep  no  class  in  subjection,  need  draft  no  man 
for  service  in  its  armies  —  for  it  is  a  government 
founded  on  the  consent  of  the  governed. *' 

He  was  silent  a  moment,  considering,  perhaps,  how 
to  use  most  wisely  this  opportunity. 

"  Let  us  apply  that  principle  to  the  other  countries 
of  the  world,"  he  went  on,  at  last.  **  Let  us  sup- 
pose that  the  people  of  each  country  were  asked  to 
choose  freely  for  themselves  their  form  of  govern- 
ment. How  many  of  the  present  governments  would 
stand  that  test?  Do  you  think  the  government  of 
Germany  would?  " 

"No,"  said  the  Prince;  "I  suppose  not.  Our 
people  are  all  socialists,  so  my  father  says.  But 
they  are  not  fit  to  govern." 


THE  PRINCE  SEEKS  DIVERSION     281 

"Whose  fault  Is  that?  Have  you  tried  to  make 
them  fit?  Besides,  their  fitness  or  unfitness  has  noth- 
ing to  do  with  it.  It  is  their  country;  let  them  grow 
fit  by  experience.  But  I  believe  they  are  fit.  How 
many  of  your  great  men  have  come  from  humble 
life?*' 

"  Oh,  a  great  many,  I  dare  say!  "  answered  the 
Prince,  impatiently.  "  But  a  body  needs  a  head. 
It  must  be  governed  by  a  head,  not  by  a  stomach !  " 

"  Ah,"  said  Vard,  "  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  every 
body  is  governed  by  its  stomach.  Not  till  the  stom- 
ach is  satisfied  does  the  head  get  a  chance.  And, 
to  govern  wisely,  the  head  must  be  a  part  of  the 
body,  not  something  distinct  from  it.  How  is  it  to 
govern  wisely,  if  it  is  not  always  In  close  touch  with 
the  body,  aware  of  its  every  need?  It  Is  only  when 
the  head  is  distinct  from  the  body  that  It  lets  the  body 
starve  and  wastes  its  substance  on  vain  and  unneces- 
sary things." 

*'  I  suppose,"  said  the  Prince  with  a  smile,  "  that 
you  refer  to  our  army  and  navy." 

**  To  the  army  and  navy  of  every  nation.  Could 
the  people  choose,  how  many  battleships  would  Ger- 
many build  next  year?  " 

The  Prince  shrugged  his  shoulders  helplessly. 

"  How  can  I  answer  such  questions?  I  do  not 
know.  But  I  do  know  that  I  have  been  born  in  a 
certain  position,  and  that  I  must  maintain  it." 


282  THE  DESTROYER 

"Why?''  Yard  demanded. 

*'  For  the  sake  of  my  honour,  and  the  honour  of 
my  house/'  answered  the  Prince,  simply. 

''  Honour !  "  cried  ^  Yard.  "  What  do  Princes 
know  of  honour?  Is  it  honourable  to  live  on  the 
sweat  and  suffering  of  others,  and  to  make  them  no 
return?  Is  It  honourable  to  be  supported  by  the  toil 
of  women  and  children,  whose  men  you  have  taken 
for  your  army?     Is  it  honourable  .  .  ." 

He  stopped  suddenly,  for  the  door  had  opened  and 
a  girl  came  In.  She  stared  first  at  one  man  and  then 
at  the  other,  evidently  astonished  by  the  few  words 
she  had  heard.  Then  she  turned  to  withdraw.  But 
YUrd  stopped  her. 

"Don't  go,  my  dear,"  he  said.  "  Allow  me  to 
present  you  to  a  Prince  of  the  House  of  Hohenzol- 
lernl     Prince,  this  is  my  daughter,  Kasia." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

ON  THE  EDUCATION  OF  PRINCES 

The  Prince  sprang  to  his  feet  and  bowed  low  over 
the  hand  which  Kasia,  after  an  instant's  startled  hesi- 
tation, had  extended.  Her  father  watched  the  scene 
with  an  amused  face. 

"  You  arrived  most  opportunely,  my  dear,"  he 
said.  "  The  Prince,  being  bored,  as  is  the  way  with 
Princes,  came  to  me,  asking  to  be  amused.  I  started 
out  to  amuse  him  by  describing  certain  strange  cus- 
toms of  America,  which  he  is  about  to  visit  for  the 
first  time;  but  I  was  soon  on  my  hobby  again,  and 
instead  of  amusing  him  .  .  .'* 

"  You  were  abusing  him !  "  said  Kasia,  laughing. 
**  At  least,  it  sounded  so  to  me ! '' 

"  Oh,  not  at  all !  '*  the  Prince  hastened  to  assure 
her.  "  I  found  what  he  was  saying  most  interest- 
ing. 

But  Vard,  with  that  quick  change  of  mood  charac- 
teristic of  his  temperament,  had  already  decided 
that  it  was  not  worth  while  attempting  to  rear  any 
seed  from  this  barren  soil.  The  Prince's  intentions 
were  good  enough,  but  they  would  come  to  nothing 
—  his  father  would  see  to  that  I 

»«8 


284  THE  DESTROYER 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  Vard,  "  I  am  not  an  annis- 
Ing  companion.  I  am  too  much  of  a  preacher,  and 
no  one  likes  to  be  shouted  at.  I  would  suggest, 
Kasia,  that  you  take  His  Highness  for  a  tour  of  the 
deck.'* 

The  Prince's  face  brightened  wonderfully. 

"  That  would  indeed  be  kind!  ''  he  said. 

Kasia  looked  at  him  with  a  little  smile.  Perhaps 
the  opportunity  of  talking  familiarly  with  royalty 
piqued  her,  good  democrat  as  she  was;  and  then  he 
was  not  a  bad-looking  fellow.  One  could  see  that 
he  was  not  brilliant,  but  he  at  least  looked  clean  and 
honest. 

"  If  you  really  wish  it,"  she  agreed. 

For  answer,  the  Prince  sprang  to  the  door. 

"  One  moment,"  Vard  interposed.  "  You  will  re- 
member, Kasia,  that  the  Prince  is  incognito,  and  that, 
under  no  circumstances,  must  you  betray  to  any  spec- 
tator or  listener  who  he  is." 

"  I  will  remember,  father,"  said  Kasia,  and  fol- 
lowed the  Prince  out  upon  the  deck. 

Wherefore  it  presently  came  to  pass  that  Dan 
Webster,  staring  gloomily  down  from  the  after  boat- 
deck  upon  the  flitting  beauties  of  the  first-class  prome- 
nade, beheld  the  lady  of  his  dreams  strolling  beside 
a  well-set-up  young  fellow,  whose  face  seemed  vaguely 
familiar,  and  in  whose  conversation  she  was  evidently 
deeply    interested  —  so    Interested    that    she    finally 


ON  THE  EDUCATION  OF  PRINCES      285 

climbed  with  him  to  a  seat  on  the  upper  deck;  and 
when  they  sat  down,  Dan  saw  that  the  young  fellow 
sat  very  close  indeed.  He  stared  incredulously  for 
a  moment  longer,  and  then  turned  angrily  away,  to 
bump  violently  into  M.  Chevrial,  who  was  also  star- 
ing. 

"  What  the  .  .  .'*  Dan  began,  and  then  stopped 
himself.  What  right  had  this  Frenchman  to  stare? 
But  then,  for  that  matter,  what  right  had  he  ? 

Chevrial  was  the  first  to  recover  himself.  He 
glanced  at  Dan's  disturbed  countenance,  and  smiled 
as  he  read  his  thought. 

**  I  was  surprised  to  see  a  passenger  of  the  second- 
class  so  calmly  enjoying  the  privileges  of  the  forward 
deck,''  he  explained.  "  If  any  one  was  to  enjoy  those 
privileges,  I  should  have  expected  it  to  be  you." 

**  So  he  is  second-class  I  I  thought  he  looked 
somehow  familiar.     I  remember,  now." 

"  He  is  undoubtedly  the  same  young  German  we 
have  seen  so  frequently  pacing  this  deck,"  said  Chev- 
rial. "  I  fancy  he  is  lonely  and  desires  amusement. 
But,  at  the  same  time,  I  fear  that  you  lack  enterprise, 
M.  Webster.     That  is  not  like  an  American." 

Dan  flushed,  and  started  to  stalk  away,  but  Chev- 
rial laid  a  hand  upon  his  arm. 

"  Np,  do  not  be  angry  with  me,"  he  said.  "  I  beg 
your  pardon.  It  will  please  you  to  know  that  that 
young  man  yonder  Is  one  of  the  very  few  persons  on 


286  THE  DESTROYER 

this  boat  with  whom  Miss  Vard  may  talk  uncon- 
strainedly.  No  doubt  that  is  why  she  appears  so 
glad  to  see  him.'* 

With  which  cryptic  utterance,  M.  Chevrial  went 
below,  and  left  Dan  to  bitter  meditation. 

Kasia,  meanwhile,  was  enjoying  herself  immensely. 

*'  Now,''  she  said,  leaning  back  in  the  seat,  after 
a  glance  around  to  assure  herself  that  there  was  no 
one  within  hearing,  "  please  tell  me  what  it  is  like  to 
be  a  Prince.  Don't  you  get  frightfully  lonesome, 
sometimes?  " 

"  That  was  my  complaint  to-day,  when  I  sought 
your  father." 

"  Yes  —  but  always,  always  to  stand  apart  from 
other  men  and  women,  so  that  they  never  dare  be 
quite  open  with  you;  quite  frank  with  you;  always  a 
little  in  awe  of  you." 

"  Not  many  people  I  know  are  in  awe  of  me," 
said  the  Prince.  "  Most  of  them  consider  me  some- 
thing of  a  fool  —  they  do  not  say  so,  but  I  can  read  it 
in  their  faces.  My  father  thinks  me  a  total  fool, 
and  does  not  hesitate  to  say  so.'* 

*'  He  must  be  a  terrible  man !  " 

"  He  is,"  agreed  the  Prince,  with  conviction. 

Kasia  looked  at  him  to  see  if  he  was  in  earnest; 
then  turned  away  her  head  for  an  instant,  until  she 
could  control  her  lips. 


ON  THE  EDUCATION  OF  PRINCES      287 

"  How  does  it  happen  that  you  speak  English  so 
well?  "  she  asked. 

"  My  father  required  it.  It  is  the  result  of  many 
weary  hours,  I  assure  you.  However,"  added  the 
Prince,  "  I  ought  not  to  complain,  since  it  has  se- 
cured for  me  the  present  hour." 

It  was  the  first  time  Kasia  had  ever  been  made  the 
mark  for  a  royal  compliment,  and  she  flushed  a  little 
in  spite  of  herself. 

"  It  is  nice  of  you  to  say  so !  "  she  murmured.  **  So 
you  have  had  your  bad  times,  too?  " 

"  Bad  times.  Miss  Vard !  Why,  the  life  that  I 
have  led  has  been  a  dog^s  life.  There  were  so  many 
things  that  I  must  know  —  that  we  all  must  know  — 
so  many  things  we  must  not  do.  I  have  often  gazed 
from  the  windows  of  the  palace  and  envied  the  boys 
in  the  gutter !  " 

"Not  reaUy!" 

"  Oh,  not  really,  of  course.  I  would  not  change. 
What  I  envied  them  was  their  liberty,  their  freedom 
to  come  and  go  as  it  pleased  them." 

*'  But  since  you  are  of  age?  " 

"  Even  yet,  each  moment  must  be  accounted  for. 
I  am  new  a  lieutenant  in  the  navy,  and  am  supposed 
to  employ  each  hour  profitably.  My  father  is  a  very 
great  man;  there  are  few  things  that  he  does  not 
know;  and  he  expects  his  sons  to  know  as  much. 
Even  of  pictures,  which  bore  me;  even  of  music. 


288  THE  DESTROYER 

whicH  distresses  me.  Everything  is  arranged.  At 
such  a  time,  I  am  to  be  with  my  ship;  again,  I  am 
to  attend  the  opera;  again,  I  am  to  be  present  at 
the  opening  of  a  museum;  again,  I  must  listen  to  a 
long  address  which  I  do  not  understand.  I  may  not 
even  choose  my  own  wife.     All  that  is  arranged.'' 

"  But  no  doubt,"  Kasia  suggested,  amused  at  his 
forlorn  aspect,  "  your  father  will  choose  more  wisely 
than  you  would." 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  the  Prince  disconsolately. 
"  I  fear  that  he  will  consider  birth  and  position  of 
more  importance  than  youth  and  beauty.  Besides, 
there  are  some  things  a  man  likes  to  do  for  himself. 
My  poor  sister,  now  .  .  ." 

He  stopped,  for,  under  the  stimulus  of  Miss  Yard's 
sympathy,  he  found  himself  about  to  betray  a  family 
secret.  ,  i 

"  Yes,  I  can  understand  that,"  said  Kasia,  with 
more  tenderness  than  she  had  yet  shown.  "  You 
don't  mind  my  talking  frankly  to  you?  " 

"  I  love  to  be  talked  frankly  to,"  protested  the 
Prince. 

This  was  very  far  from  the  truth,  only  the  Prince 
didn't  know  it.  What  he  really  loved  was  flattery 
disguised  as  frankness.  In  this,  he  resembled  most 
other  human  beings. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Kasia,   ''  if  you  don't  like  it, 


ON  THE  EDUCATION  OF  PRINCES      289 

If  you  find  it  intolerable,  why  don't  you  cut  and 
run?" 

"Cut  and  run?" 

"Yes;  go  away  by  yourself,  be  a  free  man,  and 
marry  the  woman  you  love.  For  of  course  there  is 
such  a  woman?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  and  the  Prince  thought  of  the  blue- 
eyed  daughter  of  the  shopkeeper  In  the  Friedrich- 
strasse,  just  off  Unter  den  Linden;  however,  he  had 
never  thought  of  marriage  In  connection  with  her. 
"  But  suppose  I  should  do  that,"  he  added,  "  how 
should  I  live?" 

"  How  do  other  men  live?     By  work!  " 

**  But  that  would  be  a  disgrace !  " 

"  Disgrace!  It  Isn't  half  so  disgraceful  as  to  live 
by  the  work  of  other  men." 

"  Your  father  said  something  of  the  same  sort  to 
me.  But  I  fear  that  neither  of  you  understands.  A. 
Prince  cannot  do  such  things." 

Kasia  threw  up  her  hands. 

"  So  we  come  back  to  the  beginning  of  the  cir- 
cle !  "  she  cried. 

"  Besides,  my  father  would  not  permit  it,"  added 
the  Prince. 

"Aren't  you  of  age?" 

"  Yes  —  but  he  Is  the  head  of  the  family.  He 
would  have  me  brought  home  —  from  the  end  o( 


290  THE  DESTROYER 

the  world,  if  necessary  —  and  then  I  should  be  con- 
fined. Even  my  elder  brother  is  sometimes  confined 
—  separated  from  his  wife,  from  his  children,  per- 
mitted to  see  no  one." 

"Poor  Prince!"  said  Kasia.  "So  you  are  a 
slave,  like  the  rest  of  us  —  rather  worse  than  the 
rest  of  us,  indeed!     Is  there  nothing  you  can  do?  " 

"  Very  few  things,"  said  the  Prince,  beginning 
really  to  pity  himself.  "  You  see,  there  is  always  my 
family  to  consider  —  nothing  must  be  done  to  injure 
its  position  or  to  make  it  less  popular.  Even  my 
father  very  often  may  not  say  what  he  thinks  or  do 
what  he  wishes." 

"  So  he  is  a  slave,  too!  " 

"  Yes,  in  a  way.  And  it  grows  worse  and  worse. 
Often,  in  private,  he  laments  the  old  days  when  a 
King  was  really  a  King,  who  was  venerated  and 
whose  word  was  law.  He  grows  very  angry  that  at 
each  election  there  are  more  socialists.  He  says  that 
the  only  hope  for  the  country  is  in  a  great  war :  it  is 
for  that  he  prepares." 

"  How  would  a  great  war  help  ?  " 

"  Oh,  in  face  of  the  common  danger,  our  people 
would  forget  their  differences,  for  they  all  love  their 
Fatherland;  they  would  fight  shoulder  to  shoulder. 
And  then,  when  it  was  over,  they  would  all  be  mad 
with  joy  over  the  victory,  and  there  would  be  new 
provinces  to  add  to  Germany,  and  an  Immense  tax 


ON  THE  EDUCATION  OF  PRINCES     291 

levied  on  our  enemy  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  war, 
so  that  our  own  people  would  not  have  to  bear  that 
burden.  It  would  all  be  just  as  it  was  after  the  war 
with  France,  when  every  German  was  filled  with 
patriotism,  and  when  Germany  for  the  first  time  be- 
came one  country.  Our  house  would  again  be  well- 
beloved,  its  authority  unquestioned." 

"  But  suppose  you  are  defeated?  " 

**  We  shall  not  be  defeated,'^  said  the  Prince, 
calmly.  **  There  is  no  nation  in  the  world  which 
Germany  could  not  defeat  —  except,  perhaps,  the 
United  States.  But  we  shall  not  go  to  war  with 
the  United  States.  England  will  be  our  foe,  and 
you  will  see  her  tumble  to  pieces  like  a  house  of  cards. 
She  is  but  an  empty  shell." 

Kasia  sat  for  a  moment  considering  all  this.  If 
this  was  really  what  was  in  the  Kaiser*s  mind  —  and 
she  could  scarcely  doubt  it  —  it  was  foolish  to  sup- 
pose that  he  would  consent  to  disarmament. 

"  What  you  have  told  me  is  not  very  promising 
for  universal  peace,"  she  said,  at  last. 

**  There  can  be  no  universal  peace  until  we  have 
humiliated  England,"  replied  the  Prince.  "  That  is 
the  belief  of  all  good  Germans.  The  conflict  must 
come  soon,  and  we  strain  every  nerve  to  prepare  for 
it  I  betray  no  secret  when  I  tell  you  this.  All 
Europe  knows  it.  England  struggles  also  to  pre- 
pare, but  we  are  always  far  ahead.     When  we  arc 


292  THE  DESTROYER 

quite  ready,  we  shall  strike.  Then,  after  we  have 
won,  after  we  have  established  Germany  as  the  first 
nation  of  Europe,  we  shall  be  ready  for  peace.  But 
we  must  have  one  more  great  victory.  The  welfare 
of  our  house  demands  it." 

As  he  spoke,  his  eyes  rested  on  the  top  of  the 
companion-way  leading  from  the  lower  deck,  and  he 
started  violently,  for  a  face  had  appeared  thefe  —  a 
face  which  looked  at  him  sternly,  almost  threaten- 
ingly. It  was  the  face  of  Pachmann.  Without  a 
word,  it  disappeared.  The  Prince  turned  nervously 
to  his  companion. 

"  Pardon  me.  Miss  Vard,"  he  said,  "  but  I  must 
go.  And  do  not  think  too  seriously  of  my  chatter. 
I  am  not  admitted  to  councils  of  state;  I  know  only 
what  every  one  knows.  We  Germans,  we  have  our 
dreams;  but  perhaps  they  are  only  that." 

He  arose,  opened  his  lips  to  say  something  more, 
then  changed  his  mind,  bowed,  and  hurried  away. 
Kasia  stared  after  him.  She  had  not  seen  that  si- 
lent summons.     But  he  did  not  look  back. 

An  hour  later,  Pachmann,  with  a  countenance  dis- 
tinctly troubled,  sought  out  Ignace  Vard,  who  was 
reading  in  his  room. 

"  The  Prince  has  been  talking  to  your  daughter," 
he  said. 

Vard  looked  at  him  in  surprise. 


ON  THE  EDUCATION  OF  PRINCES      293 

"  I  sent  them  out  together,"  he  explained.  "  I 
thought  perhaps  Kasia  would  amuse  him  —  and  be 
amused.'* 

"  Has  she  told  you  nothing?  " 

Again  Vard  glanced  at  him. 

"  No.     Has  she  reason  for  complaint?  ** 

"  I  did  not  mean  that.  I  dare  say  he  behaved 
decently  enough.  But  he  spouted  a  lot  of  childish 
nonsense  about  German  hopes  and  German  ambi- 
tions, and  I  feared  your  daughter  might  take  him 
seriously.  He  is  nothing  but  an  ignorant  young 
fool." 

Vard  laid  aside  his  book  and  looked  Pachmann 

[ 

full  in  the  face. 

"  The  truth  comes  sometimes  from  the  mouth*  of 
fools,"  he  said.     "  When  am  I  to  have  my  answer?  " 

"  To  be  quite  candid,"  answered  Pachmann, 
readily,  "  I  am  afraid  to  give  it  to  you  on  board  this 
boat.  I  chose  this  boat  because  I  believed  we  should 
be  safe  here.  But  there  are  spies  on  board;  one 
of  our  conferences  has  been  overheard  —  perhaps 
both  of  them,"  and  he  told  of  the  assault  upon 
Schroeder.  "  Then  again,  we  must  not  be  seen  too 
much  together.  I  might  be  recognised;  and  you  arc 
already  suspected  of  having  caused  the  destruction  of 
La  Liberie.'' 

"  How  can  that  be?  "  Vard  demanded,  in  a  tone 
which  showed  that  he  was  genuinely  startled. 


294  THE  DESTROYER 

For  answer,  Pachmann  took  from  his  pocket-book 
a  paper,  unfolded  it  and  handed  it  to  Vard.  It  was 
the  wireless  from  Lepine. 

"  That  was  received  last  Thursday,^'  he  said.  "  I 
suppose  you  know  who  Lepine  is.  By  great  good 
fortune,  I  intercepted  it,  and  sent  an  answer  denying 
that  you  were  on  board.  It  was  for  that  reason 
you  were  removed  to  the  first-class  and  your  name 
kept  off  the  passenger  list.  But  how  can  he  have 
suspected  you  ?  " 

Vard  shook  his  head  slowly.  He  was  a  little 
pale,  and  the  hand  which  held  the  message  trembled. 

**  I  cannot  guess,"  he  said. 

"  You  have  told  no  one?  '' 

"  Told!  "  flashed  Vard.  *'  Do  you  not  see  that, 
unless  my  great  plan  succeeds,  that  action  will  have 
been  an  Infamous  one?  To  kill  three  hundred  men 
in  order  to  assure  peace  to  the  world  —  that  may 
be  justified  —  that  may  even  be  heroic;  but  to  kill 
them  wantonly,  to  kill  them  and  then  to  fail  —  that 
would  drive  me  mad !  "  He  looked  at  Pachmann, 
his  eyes  suddenly  inflamed.  "  And  let  me  tell  you 
this,"  he  added,  in  a  voice  of  concentrated  passion, 
"  if  I  find  that  you  have  deceived  me,  if  I  find  that 
you  have  betrayed  me,  Germany  shall  suffer  a  re- 
prisal that  will  make  you  shudder!     I  swear  It!  " 

Pachmann's  eyes  were  also  suffused.  In  that  mo- 
ment, he  literally  saw  red. 


ON  THE  EDUCATION  OF  PRINCES      295 

"  You  threaten !  "  he  cried  hoarsely.  "  You  dare 
to  threaten !  " 

''  I  warn !  "  said  Vard.  "  And  you  will  do  well 
to  heed  the  warning!  You  are  playing  with  fire  — 
take  care  that  it  does  not  consume  you !  '' 

Pachmann  conquered  his  emotion  by  a  supreme 
effort. 

"  It  Is  foolish  to  talk  In  that  way,"  he  said.  "  It 
is  foolish  to  speak  of  deception  and  betrayal.  There 
Is  no  question  of  either.  But  we  must  move  cau- 
tiously. We  must  evade  these  spies.  Even  you  can 
see  that!  " 

"  Here  is  my  last  word/*  said  Vard,  more  calmly. 
"  We  shall  reach  New  York  on  Tuesday.  I  will 
await  your  answer  for  twenty- four  hours  after  we 
have  landed.  If  I  have  not  then  received  it,  I  shall 
consider  myself  free  to  act  as  I  think  best.'' 

A  gleam  of  triumph  flashed  In  Pachmann's  eyes. 

"  I  accept  your  condition,"  he  said,  and  with  a 
little  ironical  bow,  rose  and  left  the  cabin. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE  EVENTS  OF  MONDAY  ^ 

Kasia  did  not  see  the  Prince  again.  That  ingenu- 
ous young  man  had  spent  a  most  uncomfortable  half 
hour  with  the  doughty  Admiral,  whose  language 
had  been  both  lucid  and  emphatic,  and  who  had 
opened  the  discussion,  and  spiked  the  Prince's  guns 
at  the  very  start,  as  it  were,  by  producing  the  paper 
sealed  with  the  Imperial  seal. 

"  I  would  call  your  attention  especially  to  this 
clause,"  said  Pachmann,  and  placed  his  finger  upon 
the  words,  "  all  members  of  my  family."  ''  It  was 
not  {)laced  there  by  accident,  I  assure  you.  You 
understand  its  meaning?  " 

The  Prince  nodded  sullenly,  as  he  handed  the 
paper  back. 

"  Your  father,"  Pachmann  continued,  replacing  it 
in  his  pocket,  "  foresaw  that  some  difficulty  such  as 
this  might  arise.  As  you  know,  his  confidence  in  you 
is  not  great." 

The  Prince  flushed  and  opened  his  lips  angrily; 
but  closed  them  again  without  speaking. 

Pachmann  smiled  unpleasantly. 

"  I  xan  guess  what  you  wish  to  say,"  he  said. 
296 


THE  EVENTS  OF  MONDAY         297 

"  You  would  remind  me  that  you  are  a  Hohen- 
zollern,  a  Prince  of  the  blood,  a  scion  of  the  house 
to  which  I,  a  petty  member  of  the  inferior  nobility, 
owe  allegiance.  That  I  do  not  permit  myself  to 
forget.  But  in  this  affair,  by  virtue  of  this  paper, 
I  stand  in  place  of  your  royal  father.  He  would 
not  hesitate  to  rebuke  you,  and  neither  shall  I. 
What  was  it  you  were  saying  to  Miss  Vard?  " 

And  the  Prince,  after  a  moment's  inward  struggle, 
repeated  the  conversation,  while  Pachmann  listened 
frowningly. 

*'  You  have  been  most  Indiscreet,"  he  said  se- 
verely, when  the  Prince  had  finished.  "  How  much 
harm  you  have  done  I  cannot  say  —  but  I  must  has- 
ten to  undo  it.  I  do  not  understand  you.  You 
know  how  important  this  affair  is  —  you  are  a  good 
German !  —  and  yet  you  go  about  talking  in  this 
fashion!  It  Is  enough  to  drive  one  mad!  If  your 
father  learned  of  it,  I  fear  he  would  think  It  neces- 
sary to  punish  you  with  great  severity.  I  shall  not 
report  it  —  but  on  one  condition :  you  must  give  me 
your  word  to  discuss  affairs  of  state  with  no  one,  to 
make  no  chance  acquaintances,  and  to  see  this  girl 
or  her  father  only  in  my  presence." 

And  so  deeply  grounded  was  the  habit  of  obedi- 
ence, so  profound  his  respect  even  for  his  father's 
signature,  that  the  Prince  promised.  Besides,  he 
had  no  wish  to  spend  a  year  or  more  In  some  second- 


298  THE  DESTROYER 

rate  fortress;  and  he  resolved  to  watch  himself  most 
warily,  until  this  annoying  business  was  at  an  end 
and  he  was  back  again  in  Berlin. 

So  Kasia  saw  him  no  more.  She  had  a  little 
struggle  with  herself  before  she  finally  decided  that 
it  was  her  duty  to  outline  the  Prince's  confessions  to 
her  father,  and  she  was  deeply  relieved  when  he 
waved  them  aside  as  of  no  importance. 

"  Every  one  knows,''  he  said,  "  that  Germany 
dreams  of  nothing  but  humiliating  England;  that  is 
no  secret  —  it  has  been  the  talk  of  Europe  for  ten 
years  past.  But  it  is  one  of  those  dreams  which 
never  come  true  —  or  go  by  contraries !  " 

By  noon  of  Monday,  Pachmann  had  completed  his 
scrutiny  of  the  passengers,  and  sought  an  interview 
with  the  Captain. 

"I  have  discovered  nothing,"  he  said;  "abso- 
lutely nothing.  At  one  time,  I  thought  that  I  had 
the  man,  but  I  caused  his  story  to  be  investigated, 
and  found  that  it  was  true.  There  remains  only  one 
thing  to  be  done.     At  what  hour  shall  we  land  ?  " 

"  That  will  depend  upon  the  delay  at  quarantine. 
Two  of  our  steerage  passengers  are  ill.  We  may 
not  be  able  to  dock  before  evening." 

Pachmann  considered  this  for  a  moment. 

"  In  the  first  place,"  he  went  on,  at  last,  follow^ 
ing  out  his  thought,  "  you  must  secure  for  me  two 


THE  EVENTS  OF  MONDAY         299 

landing-tickets  —  one  for  Vard  and  one  for  his 
daughter.  The  immigration  officers  must  not  see 
them.  There  must  be  no  evidence  that  they  ever 
reached  New  York." 

Hausmann's  face  clouded. 

"  That  is  a  very  serious  offence,"  he  pointed  out. 

**  We  must  take  the  risk." 

"What  will  you  do  about  their  baggage?" 

"  I  will  have  it  claimed  by  some  one  from  the 
consulate." 

The  Captain  hesitated  yet  a  moment. 

"  I  will  secure  the  tickets,"  h^  agreed,  finally. 
"  A  considerable  outlay  will  be  necessary." 

"  You  will  be  reimbursed.  Furthermore,"  Pach- 
mann  added,  "  I  will  myself  explain  to  the  Emperor 
how  greatly  you  have  assisted  us." 

Hausmann  bowed  coldly. 

**  Is  there  anything  else?  "  he  asked. 

"  You  have  watched  the  wireless?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  It  must  be  watched  even  more  closely.  No  mes- 
sage in  cipher,  nor  any  that  is  at  all  questionable, 
must  be  sent  or  delivered.  If  there  are  complaints 
afterwards,  the  failure  can  be  explained  as  an  over- 
sight." 

Again  Hausmann  bowed. 

"And  finally,"  said  Pachmann,  "  I  have  here  a 
message,  which  I  would  ask  you  to  have  sent  at  once." 


300  THE  DESTROYER 

It  was  in  cipher  and  a  long  one,  and  it  took  half 
an  hour  to  transmit,  for  the  wireless  man  at  the 
Cape  Cod  station  was  required  to  repeat  it  for  ver- 
ification. Then  it  was  hurried  on  by  telegraph  to 
New  York,  and  finally  delivered  at  the  German  con- 
sulate, where  the  chief  of  the  German  secret  service, 
to  whom  it  was  addressed,  read  it  with  great  care. 

Miss  Vard,  meanwhile,  was  finding  the  hours  long. 
The  Prince  had  furnished  a  slight  divertissement  the 
day  before;  but  to-day  there  was  no  such  relief  in 
sight,  and  she  found  herself  singularly  restless. 
This  was,  in  part,  a  reflection  of  her  father's  mood, 
for  she  had  never  known  him  so  nervous  and 
Irritable.  The  lines  in  his  face  had  deepened,  his 
eyes  were  brighter  than  ever,  and  he  waved  her  im- 
patiently away  whenever  she  ventured  to  address 
him.  Plainly,  a  crisis  was  at  hand,*  and,  as  she  saw 
how  her  father  was  affected,  she  awaited  it  with 
foreboding. 

She  tried  to  read  and  gave  it  up,  for  she  could  not 
fix  her  attention  on  the  page;  she  sat  for  a  long  time 
looking  at  the  sea,  and  then  turned  her  eyes  away, 
for  Its  restlessness  Increased  her  own;  she  went  for 
a  walk  about  the  deck,  but  It  seemed  to  her  In  every 
pair  of  eyes  turned  upon  her  there  was  suspicion  and 
aversion.  How  glad  she  was  that  the  voyage  was 
almost  ended!     It  had  started  happily  enough,  and 


THE  EVENTS  OF  MONDAY         301 

then,  quite  suddenly,  it  had  become  wearisome  and 
hateful. 

It  was  inevitable  that,  at  this  point,  her  thoughts 
should  fly  to  Dan.  What  a  nice  boy  he  was!  She 
would  see  him  to-morrow  night  —  she  had  promised 
him  that!  And  before 'that?  Would  it  be  too  un- 
dignified for  her  to  steal  up  again  to  that  bench  on 
the  after  boat-deck  —  would  it  —  would  it  precipi- 
tate matters?  She  did  not  want  to  do  that  and 
yet  .  .  . 

**  Good  afternoon,"  said  a  voice,  and  some  one  fell 
into  step  beside  her,  and  she  looked  up  and  saw  that 
it  was  Dan.  For  an  instant,  she  fancied  it  was  only 
the  visualisation  of  her  own  thoughts;  then  she 
winked  the  mists  away. 

"  This  is  nice  of  you,"  she  said.  "  I  was  just 
wishing  for  —  some  one.     I  was  dreadfully  bored." 

"  You  were  a  thousand  miles  away.  I  passed  you 
twice  and  you  didn't  even  see  me.  If  it  hadn't  been 
for  my  newspaper  training,  Vd  have  made  off  to  my 
den." 

**  I'm  very  glad  you  didn't.  I  really  wanted  to 
talk  to  you." 

"  Suppose  we  go  up  to  the  boat-deck,"  said  Dan, 
**  where  you  .  .  ." 

He  stopped. 

"Where  I  what?" 

Dan  led  the  way  up  the  ladder  without  replying; 


302  THE  DESTROYER 

but  a  gkam  of  understanding  penetrated  Miss 
Yard's  mind  when  she  saw  him  go  straight  to  the 
bench  where  she  and  the  Prince  had  sat. 

"  It  was  this  way,"  Dan  explained,  sitting  down 
beside  her.  *'  I  happened  to  be  staring  down  at  the 
forward  promenade,  yesterday  afternoon,  when  I 
saw  you  walking  with  a  tall  young  fellow,  who 
seemed  exceedingly  interested  in  you.  Naturally,  I 
was  a  little  curious,  as  he  happened  to  be  a  second- 
class  passenger  like  myself  .  .  .'' 

"  Second-class !  "  broke  in  Kasia,  and  stopped  her- 
self. 

"Did  you  think  him  a  millionaire?  "  queried  Dan, 
a  little  bitterly. 

"  No,"  answered  Kasia,  quietly;  "  I  thought  him 
just  what  he  is  —  an  ingenuous  young  German,  not 
very  brilliant,  perhaps,  but  clean  and  honest.  I 
passed  a  very  pleasant  half  hour  with  him." 

Dan's  face  was  a  little  pale,  but  he  looked  at  her 
manfully  and  squared  his  shoulders. 

**  I  deserved  that!  "  he  said.  "  Thank  you,  Miss 
Vard.     But  it  was  very  lonely,  last  night!  " 

Kasia's  look  softened. 

"Yes,"  she  agreed;  "it  was." 

"  You  felt  it,  too?  "  asked  Dan,  his  face  lighting 
up  again. 

"  Certainly  I  felt  it.  I  haven't  dared  make  any 
friends  among  the  first-class  passengers,  and  a  per- 


THE  EVENTS  OF  MONDAY         303 

son  can't  read  all  the  time  I  One  likes  to  talk  occa- 
sionally, no  matter  with  whom." 

*'  Why  not  slip  over  to  second-class  to-night," 
Dan  suggested,  *'  and  sit  on  the  bench.  The  moon 
is  very  beautiful." 

But  Kasia  shook  her  head,  smiling. 

"  I  shall  have  to  admire  it  alone,"  she  said. 
"  We  must  not  be  seen  so  much  together  —  it  is  not 
wise  for  us  to  sit  here.  Suppose  some  one,  seeing  us 
together,  should  take  it  into  his  mind  to  search  your 
baggage,  and  should  find  that  little  package  .   .  ." 

**  He  wouldn't  find  it,"  Dan  broke  in.  "  During 
the  day,  I  carry  it  in  my  pocket.  At  night,  I  sleep 
with*  it  under  my  pillow." 

Kasia  gave  him  a  quick  glance. 

"  That  is  splendid  I  "  she  said,  quickly.  "  And 
you  don't  even  wish  to  know  what  it  is?  " 

"  Not  unless  you  wish  to  tell  me.  There  is  one 
danger,  though.  If  the  customs  inspector  should 
happen  to  run  across  it,  he  will  want  to  know  what 
it  is." 

**  Tell  him  it  is  an  electrical  device.*' 

"And  if  he  opens  it?  " 

"  That  will  do  no  harm.  All  he  will  find  is  a 
small  metal  box,  filled  with  tiny  wires  coiled  about 
each  other." 

Dan  breathed  more  freely. 

**  That  simplifies  things,"  he  said.     *'  From  what 


304  THE  DESTROYER 

you  said  when  you  gave  it  to  me,  I  was  afraid  I 
might  have  to  knock  him  down,  snatch  the  package, 
and  make  a  break  for  it." 

"  No,'*  and  Kasia  smiled.  "  It  would  appear  of 
value  only  to  some  one  who  knew  what  it  was.  The 
customs  inspector  doesn't  count." 

"  And  to-morrow  evening,  say  at  eight  o'clock,  I 
shall  bring  It  up  to  you." 

"  Very  well.  I  shall  expect  you.  And  now  you 
must  go." 

Dan  rose  obediently. 

*'  It  will  be  a  long  twenty-four  hours,"  he  said. 
^*  But  I  feel  more  cheerful  than  I  did.  By  the  way," 
he  added,  turning  back,  "  there's  one  thing  I  forgot 
to  tell  you.  If  that  other  young  fellow  shows  up 
again,  you  needn't  be  afraid  to  talk  to  him.  Chev- 
rlal  says  he's  about  the  only  one  on  the  ship  you  are 
safe  to  talk  freely  with !  " 

"Chevrial!"  she  repeated,  staring;  "  Chevrial 
said  that!  " 

"  Yes,"  and  Dan  laughed.  "  He  seems  to  be  the 
wise  guy,  all  right!"  and  without  suspecting  her 
emotion,  he  turned  and  left  her.  But  for  a  long 
time  Kasia  sat  there,  unmoving,  trying  to  under- 
stand. 

Dan's  evening  was  not  so  lonely  as  he  had  ex- 
pected, for,  as  he  sat  on  the  bench  on  the  boat-deck, 


THE  EVENTS  OF  MONDAY         305 

staring  out  across  the  water  and  thinking  of  the 
morrow,  Chevrial  joined  him. 

"  I  do  not  intrude  ?  "  the  Frenchman  asked. 

"  Not  at  all.     Sit  down,  won't  you?  " 

Chevrial  sat  down,  and  for  some  moments  there 
was  silence. 

"  Our  voyage  nears  an  end,  M.  Webster,"  Chev- 
rial said  at  last  "  To-morrow  you  will  be  home 
again.     Perhaps  I  may  see  you  in  New  York." 

"Where  will  you  stay?" 

"  I  have  some  friends  in  the  wine-trade  with  whom 
I  usually  stay.  The  little  money  I  pay  them  is  wel- 
come to  them,  and  I  am  more  comfortable  than  at 
an  hotel.  I  do  not  know  their  exact  address  —  they 
have  moved  since  I  was  last  here;  but  they  are  to 
meet  me  at  the  pier." 

"  Whenever  you  have  a  leisure  evening,"  said 
Dan,  "  call  up  the  Record  office  and  as!:  for  me,  and 
we  will  have  dinner  together." 

"  Thank  you.  I  shall  remember.  And  I  should 
like  you  to  meet  my  friends.  I  do  not  know  if  you 
are  a  connoisseur  of  wine,  but  if  you  are,  they  possess 
a  few  bottles  of  a  vintage  that  will  delight  you." 

"  I'm  far  from  being  a  connoisseur,"  Dan  laughed; 
"  but  I  accept  the  invitation  with  thanks." 

Chevriars  face  was  bright. 

"  And  when  next  you  come  to  Paris,"  he  added, 
*^  I  hope  you  will  let  me  know.     There  is  my  card. 


3o6  THE  DESTROYER 

A  letter  to  that  address  will  always  reach  me  —  we 
have  no  telephone,  alas !  There  are  some  things  I 
should  delight  to  show  you  —  things  which  the  av- 
erage visitor  does  not  see." 

"  You  are  very  kind,"  said  Dan,  taking  the  card; 
"and  I  shall  not  forget;  though  I  don't  expect  to 
get  abroad  again  very  soon.  You  see,  I  have  to 
collect  a  reserve  fund,  first;  and  the  cost  of  living  is 
high !  " 

"Whenever  it  is;  and  the  more  soon,  the  better 
I  shall  be  pleased." 

"  How  long  will  you  be  in  New  York?  " 

"  A  week  —  ten  days,  perhaps.  Then  I  go  to 
Boston,  and  to  Montreal  and  Quebec,  and  thence 
home  again.  I  am  glad  I  shall  not  have  to  use  a 
German  boat.  I  do  not  like  German  boats  —  nor 
anything  German,  for  the  matter  of  that!  Which 
reminds  me  of  a  most  peculiar  circumstanqe.  You 
may  have  wondered  at  my  remark  with  reference 
to  that  young  man  who  was  strolling  with  Miss 
Vard?" 

"  That  she  could  talk  to  him  without  fear?  Yes, 
I  have  wondered  just  what  you  meant  by  it." 
-  "I  may  be  mistaken  —  but  I  should  like  your 
judgment.  In  the  library,  among  the  other  books, 
is  one  which  describes  the  life  of  the  Kaiser  and  his 
family  —  it  is  put  there,  I  suppose,  for  all  good  Ger- 
mans to  read.     It  is  illustrated  by  many  photographs. 


THE  EVENTS  OF  MONDAY         307 

In  looking  at  the  photographs,  one  of  them  impressed 
me  as  curiously  familiar;  if  I  should  happen  to  be 
correct,  it  would  make  a  most  startling  article  for 
your  newspaper.  But  I  wish  you  to  judge  for  your- 
self. You  will  fmd  the  book  lying  on  the  table  in 
the  library,  and  the  photograph  in  question  is  on 
page  sixty-eight.  If  you  will  look  at  it,  and  then 
return  here,  I  should  consider  it  a  favour." 

Considerably  astonished,  Dan  descended  to  thei 
library,  found  the  book,  and  turned  to  page  sixty- 
eight.  Yes,  there  was  a  photograph  of  the  Em- 
peror, with  the  Empress  and  Princess  Victoria; 
another  of  the  Crown  Prince,  with  his  wife  and 
children;  another  of  the  Princes  —  Eitel-Frederick, 
August,  Oscar,  Adalbert  .  .  . 

And  Dan,  looking  at  it,  felt  his  eyeballs  bulge, 
for  he  found  himself  gazing  at  the  face  of  Kasia 
Vard's  companion. 

He  told  himself  he  was  mistaken;  closed  his  eyes 
for  an  instant  and  then  looked  again.  There  was 
certainly  a  marvellous  resemblance.  If  it  should 
really  be  the  same  —  Dan*s  head  whirled  at  thought 
of  the  story  it  would  make  I 

He  closed  the  book,  at  last,  climbed  slowly  back 
to  the  boat-deck  and  sat  down  again  beside  M. 
Chevrial. 

"Well?"  asked  the  latter.  "What  do  you 
think  of  it?" 


3o8  THE  DESTROYER 

"  If  they  are  not  the  same  man,  they  are  remark- 
ably alike,"  said  Dan. 

"  I  believe  they  are  the  same.'' 

"  But  it  seems  too  grotesque.  Why  should  a 
HohenzoUern  travel  second-class,  dressed  in  a  shabby 
walking-suit,  and  without  attendants?" 

"  There  is  a  middle-aged  German  with  him,  who 
is,  no  doubt,  his  tutor,  or  guardian,  or  jailer  — 
whichever  you  may  please  to  call  it." 

"His  jailer?" 

Chevrial   smiled. 

"  The  Emperor  is  a  father  of  the  old  school,  and 
punishes  his  sons  occasionally  by  imprisonment  or 
banishment  under  guard.  I  fancy  that  is  the  case 
here.  Before  I  left  Paris,  I  heard  rumours  of  in- 
discretions on  the  Prince's  part  with  a  young  lady 
in  Berlin,  which  had  made  his  father  very  angry. 
This  journey,  perhaps,  is  a  penance.  At  least,  it  is 
worth  investigating." 

"  It  certainly  is,"  agreed  Dan  warmly,  and  fell 
silent,  pondering  how  best  to  prove  or  disprove  this 
extraordinary  story.  It  was  decidedly  of  the  sort 
the  Record  liked;  if  he  could  only  verify  It,  his  re- 
turn to  the  office  would  be  in  the  nature  of  a  tri- 
umph!    But  to  prove  it!     Well,  there  were  ways! 

A  low  exclamation  from  his  companion  brought 
him  out  of  his  thoughts. 


THE  EVENTS  OF  MONDAY         309 

''  Behold!  '^  said  Chevrial;  and,  far  away  to  the 
right,  Dan  caught  the  gleam  of  a  light. 

"A  ship?"  he  asked. 

"  No,  no ;  it  is  the  lighthouse  on  what  you  call 
the  Island  of  Pire.  It  is  America  welcoming  you, 
my  friend.'* 

And  Dan,  with  a  queer  lump  in  his  throat,  took 
off  his  cap. 

"  America  I "  he  repeated,  and  Kasia  Yard's 
words  leaped  into  his  mind.  "  The  land  of  free- 
dom!" 

"Yes,"  agreed  his  companion,  softly;  "you  do 
well  to  be  proud  of  her !  She  is  at  least  more  free 
than  any  other  1  " 


\  CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE  LANDING 

When  Dan  Webster  awoke,  next  morning,  his  first 
thought  was  that  something  was  wrong,  and  it  was 
a  moment  before  he  realised  what  it  was.  The 
screw  had  stoppe^.  Instead  of  quivering  with  the 
steady,  pulse-like  vibration  to  which,  during  the  past 
week,  he  had  grown  accustomed,  the  ship  lay  dead 
and  motionless.  He  got  on  deck  as  quickly  as  he 
could,  and  found  that  they  were  anchored  in  the 
sheltefc,>of  Sandy  Hook,  with  a  boat  from  quarantine 
alongside.  Already  the  deck  was  thronged  with 
excited  passengers;  many  of  the  women,  in  their 
eagerness  to  go  ashore,  had  put  on  their  hats  and 
veils  and  even  their  gloves.  But  word  got  about 
that  there  was  some  sickness  in  the  steerage,  and 
that  It  would  probably  be  some  hours  before  they 
could  proceed. 

Dan  took  a  long  look  at  the  familiar  land;  then 
he  hurried  below  to  breakfast.  He  had  planned 
his  campaign  before  he  went  to  sleep  the  previous 
night,  and  he  was  eager  to  begin  It.  Breakfast, 
therefore,  did  not  take  him  long,  and  he  was  soon 
searching  the  decks  for  the  man  who,  possibly,  was 

310 


THE  LANDING  311 

a  son  of  the  Kaiser,  but,  much  more  probably,  merely 
a  young  German  who  made  the  most  of  a  chance 
resemblance. 

Dan  possessed  the  aplomb  which  only  years  of 
work  on  a  great  paper  can  give  a  man;  he  had 
wormed  interviews  from  many  reluctant  and  exalted 
personages;  he  had  asked  questions  which  the  other 
man  was  certain  to  resent,  often  quite  justly;  he  had 
drilled  himself  to  believe  that,  when  he  was  on  the 
trail,  all  mankipd  was  fair  game,  and  that  any  device 
which  would  drag  the  truth  from  them  was  justified 
—  the  truth,  the  truth,  that  was  the  end  and  the 
justification  of  newspaper  methods!  Nevertheless, 
his  heart  beat  a  little  faster  when,  at  last,  he  per- 
ceived the  object  of  his  search  leaning  against  the 
rail  at  the  rear  of  the  upper  promenade  and  gazing 
out  to  sea. 

"  I've  got  buck-fever,**  he  told  himself.  *'  It's 
because  Tm  out  of  training.'*  And  then  he  won- 
dered if  the  Prince  was  thinking  of  Germany,  and 
of  the  lady-love  from  whom  he  had  been  torn. 

Nobody  else,  apparently,  had  any  thought  for 
Germany  or  for  the  open  ^sea.  Every  one  had 
crowded  to  the  side-rails  to  stare  at  the  land  or  at 
the  smudge  of  smoke  which  marked  Long  Island, 
and  the  stern  of  the  ship  was  deserted.  Telling 
himself  that  he  would  never  have  a  better  chance, 
and  that  he  must  finish  with  the  affair  before  the 


312  THE  DESTROYER 

ship-reporters  came  aboard,  Dan  braced  himself,  ap- 
proached the  solitary  and  somewhat  pathetic  figure, 
removed  his  cap  and  bowed  respectfully.  The 
Prince,  abruptly  wakened  from  his  day-dreams, 
looked  up  with  a  start,  and  met  Dan's  smiling  eyes 
with  an  astonished  stare. 

"  I  see  Your  Highness  does  not  remember  me," 
said  Dan,  good-humouredly.  "  That  is  not  remark- 
able, but  I  was  conceited  enough  to  think  it  just  pos- 
sible that  you  might." 

"  No,"  said  the  Prince,  finding  his  tongue,  "  I 
fear  I  do  not  .  .  ."  He  stopped  abruptly.  "  For 
whom  do  you  take  me?  "  he  demanded. 

"  Surely  I  am  not  mistaken !  "  and  Dan  looked  at 
him  more  closely.  "  No  —  it  is  really  Your  High- 
ness!    I  cannot  be  deceived!  " 

The  Prince  met  his  gaze  and  shook  his  head,  and 
tried  to  laugh.  But  he  was  not  a  good  liar  —  his 
father  had  long  since  recognised  his  unfitness  for 
any  diplomatic  mission. 

"  I  see  it  is  useless  for  me  to  dissemble,"  he  said, 
in  a  low  tone.  "  But  I  am  here  strictly  incognito, 
and  I  beg  that  you  will  not  betray  me.  Where  have 
we  met?  " 

Dan's  heart  leaped  with  exultation.  And  then  a 
little  feeling  of  shame  seized  him.  It  was  too  bad 
to  have  to  betray  the  fellow  —  but  duty  demanded 
it!     Perhaps,  however,  it  could  be  done  in  a  way 


THE  LANDING  313 

that  would  not  be  offensive.  He  opened  his  lips  to 
explain,  when  a  stocky  figure  suddenly  thrust  itself 
between  them,  and  Dan  found  himself  gazing  into  a 
pair  of  irate  eyes. 

"  What  is  this?  "  demanded  the  newcomer,  though 
his  voice,  too,  was  carefully  lowered.  "  Who  are 
you,  sir?  " 

Dan  felt  his  good  resolutions  ooze  away  at  the 
other's  brutal  manner. 

"  I  am  a  reporter,''  he  said. 

"  What  is  your  business?  " 

**  Gathering  news." 

"Your  business  here,  I  mean?" 

"  I  was  just  interviewing  the  Prince,'*  explained 
Dan,  blandly.  *'  The  Record  would  be  very  glad 
to  have  his  opinion  of  the  Moroccan  situation,  of 
the  Italian  war,  of  the  triple  entente,  or  of  anything 
else  he  cares  to  talk  about.  Perhaps  he  could  find 
a  theme  in  the  destruction  of  La  Liberie.** 

He  spoke  at  random,  and  was  surprised  to  see  how 
fixedly  the  other  man  regarded  him,  with  eyes  in 
which  apprehension  seemed  to  have  taken  the  place 
of  anger. 

"  One  moment,"  said  Pachmann,  for  it  was  he, 
and  he  turned  and  spoke  a  few  rapid  words  of  Ger- 
man to  the  Prince,  who  reddened  and  nodded  sul- 
lenly. Dan  judged  from  the  sound  of  the  Admiral't 
subsequent  remarks  that  he  was  swearing;  but  he 


314  THE  DESTROYER 

preserved  a  pleasant  countenance,  the  more  easily 
since,  happening  to  glance  up,  he  saw  Chevrial  lean- 
ing over  the  rail  of  the  boat-deck  just  above  them 
and  regarding  the  scene  with  an  amused  smile.  At 
last,  having  relieved  his  feelings,  the  Admiral  fell 
silent  and  pulled  absently  at  the  place. where  his 
moustache  had  been. 

"When  does  your  paper  appear?"  Pachmann 
asked,  at  last. 

"  To-morrow  morning." 

"  You  would  not  wish  to  use  the  interview  before 
that  time?" 

"No." 

Pachmann  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief,  and  his  face 
cleared. 

"  Then  we  are  prepared  to  make  a  bargain  with 
you,"  he  said.  "  It  is  most  important  that  the 
Prince's  incognito  be  strictly  preserved  until  to-night. 
If  you  will  give  me  your  word  of  honour  to  say 
nothing  of  this  to  any  one  until  eight  o'clock  this 
evening,  I,  in  return,  give  you  my  word  of  honour 
that  the  Prince,  at  that  hour,  will  grant  you  an  inter- 
view which  I  am  sure  you  will  find  of  interest.  Do 
you  agree  ?  " 

Dan  reflected  rapidly  that  he  had  nothing  to  lose 
by  such  an  agreement;  that  eight  o'clock  would  re- 
lease him  from  his  promise  in  ample  time  to  write 


THE  LANDING  315 

his  story;  and  the  Interview  might  really  be  Impor- 
tant. 

"  Yes,"  he  said;  "  I  agree;  but  on  one  condition." 

''What  is  that?"  demanded  Pachmann,  impa- 
tiently. 

"  That  the  interview  be  exclusive." 

**  Exclusive?  "  echoed  Pachmann.  **  I  do  not  un- 
derstand." 

"  I  mean  by  that  that  no  one  else  is  to  get  the 
interview  but  me,"  Dan  explained. 

A  sardonic  smile  flitted  across  Pachmann's  lips. 

**  I  agree  to  the  condition,"  he  said.  **  And  you 
on  your  part  agree  to  say  no  word  to  any  one; 
you  are  not  to  mention  the  appointment  which  I  will 
make  with  you." 

"  I  understand,"  said  Dan.  "  But,  interview  or 
no  interview,  I  am  to  be  released  from  the  promise 
at  eight  o'clock." 

"  Yes.  Very  well,  then.  I  accept  your  word  of 
honour,  and  I  give  you  mine.  At  seven  o'clock  to- 
night, you  will  call  at  the  German  consulate  and  ask 
for  Admiral  Pachmann.  I  shall  be  in  waiting  to 
conduct  you  to  the  Prince." 

**  I  thank  you,"  said  Dan,  and  walked  away,  tread- 
ing on  air.  Then  another  consideration  occurred  to 
him.  All  this  was  going  to  Interfere  with  his  even- 
ing with  Kasia.     He  must  see  her  and  explain  that 


3i6  THE  DESTROYER 

he  would  be  late.  But  an  official  stopped  him  at  the 
gangway  and  explained  that,  under  quarantine  regu- 
lations, each  class  must  keep  to  its  own  quarters  until 
the  boat  had  docked. 

The  delay  was  less  thari  had  been  feared,  for  the 
illness  In  the  steerage  turned  out  to  be  well-'defined 
typhoid;  so,  at  the  end  of  two  hours,  the  big  ship 
began  to  move  slowly  up  the  harbour,  with  the  pas- 
sengers hanging  over  the  rails,  for  the  first  glimpse 
of  the  great  city.  There  was  the  green  shore  of 
Long  Island;  and  then  the  hills  of  Staten  Island; 
and  then,  there  to  the  left,  loomed  the  Statue  of 
Liberty,  her  torch  held  high.  Dan  took  ofi  his  cap, 
his  eyes  moist;  and  then,  as  he  glanced  at  the  faces 
of  his  neighbours,  he  saw  that  they  were  all  gazing 
raptly  at  the  majestic  figure,  just  as  he  had  been. 
Most  of  them,  no  doubt,  had  seen  it  many  times 
before;  some  of  them,  perhaps,  had  committed  the 
sacrilege  of  climbing  up  into  the  head  and  scribbling 
their  names  there;  they  had  glanced  at  her  carelessly 
enough  outward-bound  for  Europe;  but  now  she  had 
for  all  of  them  new  meaning, —  she  typified  the 
spirit  of  their  Fatherland,  she  welcomed  them  home. 

And  finally  the  wonderful  skyline  of  New  York 
towered  far  ahead,  the  web-like  structure  of  the 
Brooklyn  bridge  spanning  the  river  to  the  right; 
little  clouds  of  steam  crowning  with  white  the  sum- 


THE  LANDING  317 

mits  of  the  towering  buildings,  ,and  a  million  win- 
dows flashing  back  the  sunlight.  There  is  nothing 
else  in  the  whole  world  like  it,  and  the  thousand 
passengers  on  the  upper  decks  coming  home,  and  the 
thousand  men  and  women  crowded  on  the  lower 
deck,  seeking  fortune  in  a  strange  land  —  all  alike 
gazed  and  marvelled  and  were  glad. 

Then,  with  a  battalion  of  tugs  pushing  and  pull- 
ing and  straining  and  panting,  the  ship  swung  in 
toward  her  dock,  and  soon  she  was  near  enough  for 
those  on  board  to  see  the  faces  of  the  waiting  crowd, 
and  there  were  cries  of  greeting  and  wavings  of 
handkerchiefs,  and  the  shedding  of  happy  tears  — 
for  It  is  good  to  get  home!  And  at  last  the  great 
hawsers  were  flung  out  and  made  fast,  and  the  voy- 
age was  ended. 

At  this  moment,  as  at  all  others,  the  first-cabin 
passengers  had  the  precedence,  and  filed  slowly  down 
one  gangplank,  their  landing-tickets  in  their  hands, 
while  at  another  the  stewards  proceeded  to  yank  off 
the  hand-baggage.  Dan,  leaning  over  the.  rail, 
watched  the  long  line  of  passengers  surging  slowly 
forward,  and  finally  he  saw  Kasia  and  her  father. 
He  would  see  them  on  the  pier,  of  course,  for  it 
would  take  them  some  time  to  get  their  baggage 
through,  and  he  could  explain  to  Kasia  about  the 
other  engagement.  He  followed  them  with  his  eyes 
—  and  then,  with  a  gasp  of  astonishment,  he  per- 


31 8  THE  DESTROYER 

ceived  just  behind  them,  also  moving  slowly  down 
the  gangplank,  the  Prince  and  the  man  who  had 
called  himself  Admiral  Pachmann. 

But  those  men  could  have  nothing  to  do  with 
Kasia !  It  was  just  an  accident  that  they  happened 
to  be  behind  her.  And  then  he  grasped  the  rail  and 
strained  forward,  scarcely  able  to  believe  his  eyes. 
For  Pachmann  had  spoken  to  Vard,  who  nodded 
and  walked  hurriedly  on  with  him,  while  Kasia,  with 
a  mocking  smile,  tucked  her  hand  within  the  Prince's 
arm  and  fell  into  step  beside  him.  Along  the  pier 
they  hastened  to  the  entrance  gates,  passed  through, 
and  were  lost  in  the  crowd  outside. 

Dan  stood  staring  after  them  for  yet  a  moment; 
then,  with  the  careful  step  of  a  man  who  knows  him- 
self to  be  intoxicated,  he  climbed  painfully  to  the 
boat-deck,  dropped  upon  a  bench  there,  and  took  his 
head  in  his  hands. 

There,  half  an  hour  later,  a  steward  found  him. 

"Beg  pardon,  sir,"  he  said.     "Are  you  ill?" 

Dan  looked  up  dazedly. 

"No,"  he  said.     "Why?" 

"  The  passengers  are  all  off,  sir.  If  you  have 
any  luggage,  you'd  better  be  having  it  examined,  sir." 

."  Thank  you,"  said  Dan,  and  got  to  his  feet,  de- 
scended to  the  lower  deck,  surrendered  his  landing 
ticket,  and  went  unsteadily  down  the  gangplank. 

The  pier  was  littered  with  baggage  and  crowded 


THE  LANDING  319 

with  distracted  men  and  women  watching  the  in- 
spectors diving  remorselessly  among  their  tenderest 
possessions.  Each  was  absorbed  in  his  own  affairs, 
and  none  of  them  noticed  Dan's  slow  progress  to- 
ward the  little  office  of  the  chief-inspector.  After 
a  short  wait,  an  inspector  was  told  off  to  look 
through  his  baggage,  and,  with  Dan's  declaration  in 
his  hand,  led  the  way  to  the  letter  "  W,"  where  his 
two  suit-cases  were  soon  found.  Dan  unlocked 
them,  and  stood  aside  while  the  inspector  knelt  and 
examined  their  contents.  He  was  through  in  ten 
minutes. 

**  Nothing  here,"  he  said,  and  rose.  Then  his 
eyes  ran  Dan  up  and  down.  "  I  see  you  have  a 
small  parcel  in  your  coat-pocket.     May  I  see  it?  " 

Without  a  word,  Dan  handed  him  the  parcel. 
The  inspector  turned  it  over  and  examined  the  seals. 

"What's  in  it?"  he  asked. 

"  A  little  electrical  device,"  Dan  answered. 

"Well,  ril  have  to  open  it  —  it  might  be  dia- 
monds, for  all  I  know." 

"  Go  ahead,"  said  Dan,  and  the  inspector  broke 
the  seals,  unwrapped  the  paper,  and  disclosed  a 
small  pasteboard  box.  He  lifted  the  lid,  glanced 
inside,  and  then  looked  at  Dan. 

"What  is  this?    A  joke?"  he  demanded. 

"  I  don't  understand,"  Dan  stammered. 

**  You  said  it  was  an  electrical  device." 


320  THE  DESTROYER 

^That's  what  it  is." 

"  Either  you're  crazy  or  I  am,"  said  the  man; 
"  and  I  don't  think  it's  me,"  and  he  thrust  the  box 
under  Dan's  nose. 

And  Dan's  eyes  nearly  leaped  from  his  head,  for 
the  box  contained  a  cake  of  soap,  cut  neatly  to  fit  it, 
into  which  had  been  pressed  a  number  of  nickel  coins. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

PACHMANN  SCORES 

Dan  Webster  never  had  any  definite  recollection 
of  how  he  got  to  his  rooms.  Somebody  must  have 
carried  his  bags  to  a  cab  and  put  them  and  him  in- 
side it,  and  he  must  have  given  the  cabby  the  number 
of  the  apartment-house  where  his  rooms  were,  for 
after  a  certain  time  he  found  himself  in  a  cab  which 
had  stopped  in  front  of  it,  with  Marshall,  the  door- 
man, staring  in  at  him. 

"  I  think  he's  drunk,  that's  what  I  think,"  said 
the  cabby,  who  had  got  down,  suspecting  that  his 
services  would  be  needed.  "  He  ought  to  be  put  to 
bed  and  left  to  sleep  it  off." 

"  I  don't  understand  it,"  said  Marshall.  "  I 
never  saw  him  like  this  before.  Paris  must  surely 
be  an  awful  place !  " 

The  cabby  chuckled,  and  together  they  got  Dan 
out  and  into  the  elevator;  but  when  the  doorman 
had  paid  and  dismissed  the  cabby,  and  tried  to  fol- 
low his  advice,  he  met  with  unexpected  resistance. 

"  Go  away,  Marshall,  and  leave  me  alone,"  said 
Dan.  "  I  heard  what  that  fellow  said;  but  I'm  not 
drunk  —  though  no  doubt  I  look  it.    Just  go  away 


322  THE  DESTROYER 

and  shut  the  door.  I'll  thank  you  another  time. 
There's  a  good  fellow !  " 

And  In  the  end,  Marshall  went  doubtfully  away. 

Dan  went  to  work  at  himself  Immediately  with 
mechanical  thoroughness.  He  filled  his  tub  with 
cold  water,  undressed  and  plunged  Into  It,  dipping 
his  head  under  half  a  dozen  times.  Then  he  rubbed 
down  with  the  roughest  towel  he  could  find,  gave 
himself  a  vigorous  massage  from  head  to  feet,  took 
a  sharp  turn  with  a  pair  of  dumb-bells,  got  Into  fresh 
clothes,  and  began  to  feel  more  like  himself. 

"  There,"  he  said;  "  that's  better.  Now  let's  see 
if  this  thing  Is  real,  or  only  a  nightmare." 

He  went  to  his  coat,  got  out  the  pasteboard  box, 
placed  It  on  a  table,  sat  down  before  it,  and  care- 
fully removed  the  lid. 

No,  It  was  not  a  nightmare.  There  was  the  cake 
of  soap  —  pink,  scented  soap  —  weighted  with  the 
nickel  coins.  Poising  the  box  In  his  hand,  he  under- 
stood why  the  coins  had  been  added.  Without  them, 
the  box  would  have  been  too  light.  He  pulled  one 
of  the  coins  out  and  looked  at  It.  It  was  a  German 
piece  of  twenty  pfennigs,  such  as  any  one  on  the 
ship  might  have  used.  He  put  It  carefully  back, 
and  lay  down  on  his  bed  to  reason  the  thing  out. 

How  had  the  substitution  been  made?  How 
could  It  have  been  made?  Every  day  the  box  had 
been  In  his  pocket;  every  night  It  had  been  beneath 


PACHMANN  SCORES  323 

his  pillow.  There  was  only  one  explanation  —  the 
change  must  have  been  made  while  he  was  asleep. 
Some  one  had  entered  the  stateroom,  slipped  out  the 
other  box  with  a  cautious  hand  and  substituted  this 
one.  Whoever  it  was  must  have  been  familiar  with 
the  weight  of  the  other  box  and  with  the  way  it  was 
wrapped  and  sealed.  But  how  was  that  possible? 
No  one  could  have  seen  Miss  Vard  give  it  to  him; 
no  one  could  have  known  that  he  had  it. 

And  then  Dan  sat  suddenly  erect.  Chevrial 
might  have  known.  Chevrial  might  have  seen  him 
slip  It  Into  his  pocket  as  he  dressed.  Yes,  Chevrial 
might  have  done  It.  Who  was  Chevrial?  How 
should  a  wine-merchant  know  so  much  about  spies 
and  diplomacy  and  German  princes?  There  had 
always  been  about  him  an  air  of  power,  of  reserve 
force.  Yes,  and  an  air  of  mystery  —  the  air  of 
one  who  knows  a  great  many  things  he  does  not 
choose  to  tell. 

Chevrial  was  undoubtedly  a  spy  himself. 

And,  as  he  found  this  answer,  Dan  wondered  that 
it  had  not  occurred  to  him  long  before.  For  it  fur- 
nished the  clue  upon  which  ChevriaPs  words  and 
hints  and  looks  and  warnings  were  strung  together 
as  on  a  thread  I 

There  could  be  no  doubt  about  it:  Chevrial  was 
a  spy,  engaged  in  some  desperate  plot  —  no  ordinary 
plot,  for  a  Prince  and  Admiral  of  the  German  Em- 


324  THE  DESTROYER 

pire  were  also  engaged  in  it,  and  heaven  alone  knew 
how  many  others! 

There  was  one  thing  to  be  done  at  once.  He 
must  go  to  Kasia  Vard  and  confess  that  he  had  been 
outwitted.  And  he  trembled  as  he  thought  what 
the  loss  of  that  little  box  would  mean  to  her !  Why 
had  he  been  so  dense,  why  had  he  not  suspected  .  .  . 

Telling  himself  that  self-accusations  would  do  no 
good,  he  finished  dressing  hurriedly,  let  himself  out, 
and  ran  downstairs  without  waiting  to  call  the  ele- 
vator. At  the  front  door  he  met  Marshall,  whose 
face  brightened  at  sight  of  him. 

"  So  you're  all  right  again,  sir?  "  he  said.  "  Tm 
glad  of  that  I'' 

"  Yes,'*  and  Dan  slipped  a  bill  into  his  hand. 
"  I  had  a  little  shock  that  sort  of  upset  me.  Many 
thanks  for  looking  after  me,  Marshall.  I'll  not 
forget  it." 

"  That's  all  right,  sir.  Thank  you,  sir.  Hope 
you  had  a  good  time  ?  " 

**  Splendid.  Come  up  and  see  me  to-morrow.  I 
brought  a  little  memento  for  you  from  that  awful 
place  called  Paris!  "  and  leaving  Marshall  staring, 
he  ran  down  the  steps  to  the  street,  sought  the  near- 
est subway  station,  and  twenty  minutes  later  mounted 
the  steps  of  the  house  on  West  Sixty-fourth  Street, 
whose  address  Kasia  had  given  him  —  a  quiet  house 
in  a  quiet  neighbourhood.     His   finger  was  trem- 


PACHMANN  SCORES  325 

Wing  as  he  touched  the  bell.  How  should  he  ever 
face  her! 

A  negro  boy  answered  the  ring. 

"  I  wish  to  see  Miss  Vard  at  once/'  said  Dan,  and 
produced  a  card. 

"  Miss  Vard  is  not  here,  sir." 

**  Not  here?     Has  she  gone  out?  " 

"  No,  sir;  she's  been  to  Europe  and  ain't  got  back 
yet." 

Dan  steadied  himself  against  the  wall,  for  he  felt 
a  little  dizzy  again. 

"  I  know.  But  she  must  be  back  I  Her  boat 
docked  three  or  four  hours  ago." 

*'  We  was  expectin'  her  to-day,  sir  —  her  and  her 
father;  but  they  ain't  got  here  yet." 

Dan  looked  at  the  boy  for  a  moment;  then  he 
gave  him  a  silver  dollar. 

**  Are  you  sure?"   he  asked. 

**  Yes,  sir;  I'm  sure,"  and  Dan  could  see  that  he 
was  telling  the  truth. 

*'  Have  you  a  'phone?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir." 

"What's  its  number?  " 

The  boy  told  him  and  Dan  jotted  it  down. 

"  Will  you  give  the  card  to  Miss  Vard  as  soon 
as  she  arrives?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  sir,  I'll  do  that." 

Dan  wrote  a  hasty  line  on  the  card,  asking  Kasia 


326  THE  DESTROYER 

to  call  him  at  once,  and  added  his  telephone  number. 
Then  he  turned  wearily  away,  and  went  back  to  his 
rooms.  There  was  nothing  to  do  but  wait.  And 
he  found  waiting  most  trying  of  all.  The  minutes 
dragged  miserably,  each  of  them  weighted  with  self- 
accusation,  but  the  afternoon  shadows  began  to 
lengthen  and  still  his  telephone  had  not  rung. 
Finally  he  called  for  Kasia's  number  and  asked 
for  her.  A  voice  which  he  recognised  as  that 
of  the  negro  boy  answered  that  she  had  not  yet 
returned. 

"  It's  those  Germans !  "  Dan  muttered  to  himself. 
"  It's  those  damned  Germans !  TheyVe  got  her 
into  It,  somehow !  " 

And  then  suddenly  he  remembered  his  appoint- 
ment, and  snatched  out  his  watch.  It  was  nearly 
six  o'clock. 

"  I'll  drag  it  out  of  them!  "  he  said.  "  I'll  drag 
it  out  of  them  I     And  if  Chevrial's  there  .  .  ." 

He  stopped.  Chevrial  and  the  Germans  could 
not  be  in  collusion  —  such  an  alliance  was  unthink- 
able.    But  how  else  to  explain  it  .  .  . 

Dan  gave  it  up;  but  a  good  dinner  at  a  near-by 
restaurant  restored  him  something  of  his  self-confi- 
dence. After  all,  this  was  America.  Europe  might 
be  honeycombed  with  intrigue  and  over-run  with 
spies,  but  they  would  find  their  occupation  gone  on 
this  side  the  water!     And  he  himself  would  explode 


PACHMANN  SCORES  327 

a  bomb  In  the  morning's  Record  that  would  shake 
them  up  a  little!  So  it  was  a  fairly  confident  and 
self-controlled  young  man  who  mounted  the  steps 
of  the  German  consulate  at  five  minutes  to  seven. 
A  flunkey  in  livery  opened  the  door  to  his  ring. 

"  I  have  an  appointment  with  Admiral  Pach- 
mann,"  said  Dan,  with  a  sudden  cold  fear  at  his 
heart  that  he  would  be  laughed  at;  but  instead  he 
was  shown  at  once  into  a  little  ante-chamber. 

"  Sit  here  a  moment,  sir,'*  said  the  footman,  and 
hastened  away,  closing  the  door  behind  him.  But 
it  opened  almost  at  once,  and  Pachmann  himself 
entered.  Dan  drew  a  deep  breath  of  relief;  it  was 
all  right  then  I 

Pachmann  fairly  radiated  good-humour.  All  his 
roughness  of  the  morning  had  disappeared,  and  he 
greeted  Dan  beamingly. 

"  I  am  most  glad  to  see  you,"  he  said,  in  such  a 
tone  that  Dan  almost  believed  him.  "  You  are 
prompt  —  but  that,  I  am  given  to  understand,  Is  an 
American  virtue.  However,  I  am  prompt,  also. 
The  car  is  waiting." 

**  The  car?  "  Dan  echoed. 

"  You  will  understand,"  Pachmann  explained, 
"  that,  since  the  Prince  is  incognito.  It  Is  impossible 
for  him  to  remain  at  the  consulate  —  that  would  at 
once  betray  him.  I  was  unc^tain,  this  morning,  as 
to  our  arrangements,  or  I  should  have  directed  you 


328  THE  DESTROYER 

to  the  proper  address.     However,  it  is  but  a  step," 
and^he  opened  the  door. 

Dan  followed  him  along  a  handsome  hall  to  the 
carriage  entrance,  where,  at  the  foot  of  the  steps, 
stood  a  limousine.  As  soon  as  they  appeared,  the 
driver,  who  had  been  standing  at  the  hood,  bent  and 
cranked  his  motor  and  then  sprang  to  the  door  and 
opened  it. 

"  Enter,  my  dear  sir,"  said  Pachmann,  and  fol- 
lowed him  into  the  car.  The  door  slammed,  the 
driver  sprang  to  his  seat,  and  they  were  off.  In  the 
semi-darkness,  Dan  fancied  he  heard  a  repressed 
chuckle,  and  a  vague  uneasiness  stole  upon  him.. 
But  he  shook  it  off.     What  had  he  to  fear? 

"  You  will  remember,"  said  Pachmann  finally, 
"  that  this  interview  is  not  a  thing  which  we  desire, 
but  to  which  we  consent  because  we  must.  You 
placed  us,  this  morning,  in  a  very  awkward  position."^ 
You  newspaper  men  of  America  have  a  method  all 
your  own.  The  manner  in  which  you  entrapped  the 
Prince  compels  my  admiration.  How  did  you  know 
that  It  was  he?  " 

"  There  was  a  book  on  the  ship  with  a  history 
and  portraits  of  the  royal  family,"  Dan  explained. 
**  I  happened  to  be  looking  it  over  and  recognised 
the  likeness  at  once." 

"So?"  said  Pachmann,  and  there  was  a  note  of 
surprise  in  his  voice,  which  told  Dan  definitely  that. 


PACHMANN  SCORES  329 

whatever  Chevrial's  plot  might  be,  this  German  was 
not  in  it.  *'  You  have  sharp  eyes.  But  the  likeness 
may  have  been  merely  a  chance  one.  It  must  have 
seemed  most  strange  to  you  that  a  Prince  of  the 
Empire  should  travel  alone  as  a  passenger  of  the 
second  class.'* 

'*  It  did.  That  was  why  I  approached  him  as  I 
did." 

"  It  was  most  clever.  We  admit  it.  Ah,  here 
we  are." 

The  car  had  stopped,  and  Pachmann  opened  the 
door.  As  Dan  alighted,  he  glanced  up  and  down  the 
street,  but  did  not  recognise  It.  It  was  a  street  of 
close-built  apartment-houses  and  private  dwellijigs 
like  any  one  of  hundreds  in  New  York.  Pachmann 
crossed  the  pavement,  mounted  the  steps  and  touched 
the  bell.  The  door  was  opened  instantly  by  a  tall 
servant  in  livery. 

If  Dan  had  expected  it  to  reveal  a  regal  mag- 
nificence, he  was  disappointed.  The  hall  into  which 
he  stepped  was  simply,  even  meagrely  furnished. 
Without  pausing,  Pachmann  mounted  the  stair,  and 
led  the  way  Into  the  front  room  on  the  upper  floor. 
It  was  a  large  room,  lighted  only  by  the  glow  of  a 
wood  fire.  A  man  was  sitting  in  front  of  It,  and 
sprang  up  at  their  entrance.  Pachmann,  at  the 
door,  switched  on  the  electrics. 

**  My  dear  Prince,"  he  said,  **  I  have  brought  the 


330  THE  DESTROYER 

young  gentleman  for  the  interview  which  we  prom- 
ised him." 

And  Dan,  as  he  saw  the  other's  face,  breathed  a 
sigh  of  relief.  Yes,  it  was  the  Prince.  For  a  mo- 
ment in  the  car,  he  had  feared  that  he  was  being 
tricked.     Pachmann  had  undoubtedly  chuckled! 

The  Prince  bowed  coldly.  His  face  was  very 
gloomy  — In  striking  contrast  to  Pachmann's,  which 
was  beaming  more  than  ever  with  good-humour. 

"  I  feel  that  an  apology  is  due  Your  Highness," 
said  Dan,  "  for  the  way  in  which  I  sought  to  entrap 
you  this  morning.  Please  believe  that  I  was  about 
to  promise  to  do  what  I  could  to  respect  your  in- 
cognito when  this  gentleman  intervened.  In  my  ar- 
ticle for  to-m.orrow,  I  shall  try  to  say  nothing  that 
can  offend  you." 

"  I  thank  you,"  said  the  Prince  gravely. 

"  All  this  is  wasting  time,"  broke  in  Pachmann, 
impatiently.  **  Proceed  with  your  questions,  my 
young  sir." 

"  What  is  the  purpose  of  Your  Highness's  visit 
to  America?  "  asked  Dan. 

The  Prince  hesitated  and  glanced  at  Pachmann. 

"  Perhaps  it  would  be  best  for  the  explanation  to 
come  from  me,"  said  the  latter  smoothly,  but  with 
a  sardonic  smile  upon  his  face.  "  The  Prince  trav- 
els in  search  of  health.  He  is  of  a  most  studious 
disposition  —  sits  up  with  his   books   far  into  the 


PACHMANN  SCORES  331 

night  —  becomes  so  absorbed  in  them  that  he  for- 
gets to  go  to  bed,  even  to  eat.  So  the  Emperor,  in 
fear  that  he  would  injure  his  health  —  you  can  see 
by  looking  at  him  he  is  most  delicate  —  decreed  a 
trip  around  the  world,  made  incognito  in  the  sim- 
plest fashion,  during  which  he  was  not  so  much  as 
to  look  inside  a  book.  This  accounts  for  the  fact 
that  never  once  on  the  voyage  over  did  you  see  him 
with  a  book  in  his  hand.  That  is  the  whole  mys- 
tery, my  young  sir.'* 

Dan,  glancing  at  the  Prince,  saw  that  he  was  red 
with  anger;  but  he  could  not  repress  a  smile  at  the 
absurdity  of  Pachmann's  explanation.  The  Prince 
was  evidently  as  strong  as  an  ox,  and  had  anything 
but  the  appearance  of  a  student. 

**  You  may  have  heard  some  idle  tales,"  went  on 
Pachmann,  rubbing  his  hands  with  pleasure,  "  of  a 
love  affair  —  of  a  barmaid,  perhaps.  Berlin  is  al- 
ways full  of  such  gossip,  and  you  American  journal- 
ists hear  it  all.  But  believe  me,  it  is  merely  gossip; 
the  truth  is  as  I  have  told  you." 

The  Prince  had  wheeled  upon  Pachmann,  his  eyes 
blazing. 

**  It  is  too  much!  "  he  cried,  in  German.  "  You 
insult  me,  and  you  shall  answer  for  it.  I  warn 
you !  "  and  he  strode  to  the  door. 

"Farewell,  my  Prince!"  said  Pachmann,  and 
waited,  with  a  sneer  on  his  lips,  until  the  Prince's 


332  THE  DESTROYER 

heavy  footsteps  died  away  down  the  hall.  Then  he 
turned  back  to  Dan.  "  Behold  that  Princes  have 
rages  just  as  other  men,"  he  said. 

"  I  don't  blame  him !  ''  said  Dan.  "  I  wonder  he 
didn't  knock  you  down." 

"  So?  "  and  Pachmann's  eyes  took  an  ugly  gleam. 
"  I  fear  the  interview  is  at  an  end." 

"  I  have  another  question  to  ask,"  said  Dan 
quietly.     "  Where  are  Mr.  Vard  and  his  daughter?  " 

Pachmann's  eyes  narrowed  to  mere  slits  and  his 
face  became  positively  venomous. 

"  I  was  expecting  that  question,"  he  sneered. 
"  What  do  you  know  of  Vard  and  his  daughter?  " 

"  They  are  friends  of  mine.  I  saw  them  leave 
the  pier  with  you.  They  have  not  yet  reached  their 
apartment.     Where  are  they?" 

"  I  cannot  tell  you." 

"  You  mean  you  will  not?" 

"  Put  it  that  way,  if  it  pleases  you." 

A  storm  of  rage  was  hammering  in  Dan*s  brain. 

"  I  would  advise  you  to  tell  me,"  he  said,  tensely. 

"You  threaten?" 

"  Yes,"  and  Dan  took  a  step  toward  the  Admiral. 
"  I  would  advise  you  to  tell  me." 

Pachmann  did  not  stir.  He  glanced  with  ironic 
eyes  from  Dan's  white  face  to  his  working  fingers. 
Tlien  he  threw  back  his  head  and  laughed. 

"  But  this  Is  better  fortune  than  I  deserve  I  "  he 


PACHMANN  SCORES  333 

mocked.  **  I  did  not  know,  I  did  not  suspect  .  .  . 
even  when  the  girl  told  me  I  "  Then  his  mood 
changed,  his  lips  curled,  his  eyes  flashed  fire. 
"What  a  fool  I''  he  sneered.  *' What  a  fooll 
You  thrust  yourself  upon  -us  —  you  walk  into  our 
trap  —  you  are  wholly  in  our  power  —  and  yet  you 
think  to  frighten  me  with  your  grand  air  and  your 
twitching  hands!  Bah!  To  me  you  ^re  merely  a 
speck  of  dust,  to  be  blown  aside  —  so !  Now, 
more  than  ever!  As  an  ignorant  young  fool,  who 
knew  no  better,  I  might  perhaps  in  time  have  let 
you  go.     But  now  .  .  .'* 

The  anger  had  ebbed  from  Dan's  brain,  although 
his  attitude  had  not  relaxed.  Staring  into  Pach- 
mann's  leering  face,  he  realised  that  he  must  think 
and  act  quickly.  The  first  thing  was  to  escape ;  with 
a  deep  breath  he  braced  himself  and  sprang  for  the 
door  —  to  plunge  straight  Into  the  outstretched  arms 
of  a  man  on  guard  there. 

There  was  a  moment's  struggle;  then  Dan  felt 
his  feet  kicked  from  under  him,  and  fell  with  a  crash 
that  shook  the  house.  In  an  instant  two  men  were 
sitting  on  him,  holding  him  down. 

Then  Pachmann  came  and  looked  down  at  him, 
his  lips  twitching  with  triumph. 

**  Young  fool!"  he  sneered.  "Young  fool!'' 
And  tfien,  in  German,  to  the  two  men,  **  Take  him 
away!  In  yonder!  **  and  he  pointed  toward  a  door 
at  the  rear  of  the  hall. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  TRAP 

To  Kasia  Vard  the  day  had  been  one  of  manifold 
excitements.  Like  Dan,  she  had  awakened  to  find 
the  boat  motionless,  and  had  run  to  the  window  to 
gaze  entranced  at  the  green  slopes  of  Sandy  Hook. 
Home !  Home !  She  fairly  sang  the  words  as  she 
dressed  and  rushed  on  deck.  From  that  instant, 
every  moment  was  charged  with  emotion,  culmi- 
nating as  she  leaned  against  the  rail  and  gazed  with 
misty  eyes  at  Bartholdi's  masterpiece.  She  remem- 
bered how,  ten  years  before,  her  father,  with  tears 
streaming  down  his  cheeks,  had  lifted  her  in  his  arms 
for  her  first  sight  of  the  majestic  Goddess,  and  had 
explained  to  her,  in  a  voice  broken  by  emotion,  why 
this  statue  stood  here,  at  the  entrance  of  this  great 
harbour,  holding  her  torch  high  in  the  air. 

The  ship  swept  on,  and  Kasia,  with  a  sigh  of  joy,, 
turned  her  eyes  forward  for  the  first  sight  of  New 
York. 

It  was  at  that  moment  her  father  joined  her. 
One  glance  at  his  face,  and  she  had  placed  her  hand 
within  his  arm,  walked  back  with  him  to  their  suite, 
entered  and  closed  the  door. 

334 


THE  TRAP  335 

"Now  tell  me/'  she  said.  "What  has  hap- 
pened?" 

''  I  have  just  seen  Pachmann,"  answered  her  father 
hoarsely.  "  He  has  arranged  for  the  final  confer- 
ence as  soon  as  we  land.  It  will  be  at  the  consulate. 
There  Is  yet  one  danger,"  and  he  dropped  his  voice. 
"  Pachmann  has  discovered  that  there  are  spies  on 
board  —  French  spies.  They  suspect  something  — 
how  much  we  do  not  know.  But  it  Is  necessary  for 
us  to  evade  them.  We  will  leave  the  pier  as  soon 
as  we  land  with  Pachmann  and  the  Prince.  Pach- 
mann will  have  a  car  waiting  —  he  has  made  all 
arrangements.     Here  is  your  landing-ticket." 

Kasia  took  It  and  slipped  it  inside  her  glove. 

**  Very  well,"  she  said.     *'  But  the  baggage?  " 

"  We  cannot  wait  for  that  —  it  would  be  too  dan- 
gerous. I  will  return  for  it  as  soon  as  the  conference 
is  over."  His  eyes  were  burning  with  excitement, 
his  lips  twitching  with  nervousness.  *'  I  am  glad  that 
the  hour  is  at  hand,"  he. added.  "  I  feel  that  I  could 
not  endure  a  longer  delay  —  these  hours  of  suspense 
are  dangerous  for  me." 

Kasia  laid  a  calming  hand  upon  his  arm. 

**  I  know,  father,"  she  said.  "  You  must  not  per- 
mit yourself  to  dwell  upon  it  so.  Let  us  go  on  deck 
again  and  watch  the  landing." 

**No;   we  are   to  wait  here,"   said  her   father. 


336  THE  DESTROYER 

**  These  last  moments  we  must  not  be  seen/'  and  hie 
sat  gnawing  feverishly  at  his  fingers. 

The  long  minutes  drifted  by.  They  could  hear 
the  rush  of  feet  and  chatter  of  voices  on  the  deck 
outside,  then  excited  cries  of  recognition  and  greet- 
ing, as  the  boat  swung  into  the  dock,  and  finally  the 
clatter  of  the  gangplank  as  it  was  ru«  into  place. 
Almost  at  once  there  came  a  tap  at  the  door.  Vard 
sprang  to  open  it  and  found  Pachmann  and  the 
Prince  outside. 

*'  You  are  ready?  '^  asked  the  former. 

"  Yes,"  and  Kasia  and  her  father  stepped  out  upon 
the  deck. 

"You  have  your  landing-checks?  Good.  Then 
we  will  start.'* 

They  joined  the  long  line  moving  down  the  gang- 
plank. 

"  This  way,"  said  Pachmann,  the  instant  they 
reached  the  pier,  and  led  Vard  hurriedly  toward  the 
entrance. 

Kasia,  left  with  the  Prince,  glanced  into  his  moody 
and  downcast  face. 

"  So  we  are  permitted  to  have  another  chat,"  she 
said,  smiling  at  his  woebegone  appearance,  and 
tucked  her  hand  under  his  arm.  "  You  look  as 
though  you  needed  some  advice.     What  is  wrong?  " 

He  glanced  at  her,  then  looked  away,  and  an- 
swered with  a  shake  of  the  head. 


THE  TRAP  337 

Just  beyond  the  entrance  stood  a  handsome  limou- 
sine, its  motor  throbbing.  Pachmann  hurried  them 
all  Into  It,  stepped  round  for  a  word  with  the  driver, 
then  himself  jumped  In  and  slammed  the  door.  The 
car  started  with  a  jerk,  backed  out  of  the  pier- 
shed,  and  headed  away  northward  through  the  streets 
of  Hoboken.  This  way  and  that  it  turned  and 
doubled,  while  Pachmann  gazed  anxiously  through 
the  little  window  In  the  back.  No  one  spoke,  but 
they  all  watched  Pachmann*s  face.  At  last  they 
were  in  the  open  country,  with  a  smooth  road  ahead. 
The  driver  opened  his  throtde,  pushed  up  his  spark, 
and  In  a  moment  they  were  whirling  along  at  forty 
miles  an  hour.  Pachmann  looked  back  for  yet  a 
moment;  then  he  turned  with  a  sigh  of  relief  and 
sank  back  into  his  seat. 

"  We  have  evaded  them,*'  he  said.  "  But  we  will 
take  no  chances." 

On  and  on  went  the  car,  climbing  to  the  top  of 
the  Palisades  and  threading  the  Jersey  woods;  mile 
after  mile  along  woodland  roads,  past  country  es- 
tates, through  little  villages,  on  and  on.  At  last, 
on  a  long  stretch  of  lonely  road,  they  stopped,  and 
the  chauffeur  climbed  down,  detached  the  licence 
numbers  at  front  and  rear,  and  strapped  on  another 
set.  Then  onward  again,  back  toward  the  river,  and 
finally,  at  the  Fort  Lee  ferry,  down  to  the  water's 
edge.     The  boat  was  about  to  start  when  the  car  ran 


338  THE  DESTROYER 

on  board;  In  another  minute  it  was  moving  out  into 
the  stream.  No  one  else  had  come  on  board,  nor 
was  there  any  sign  of  pursuers  on  the  bank. 

Leaving  the  ferry,  on  the  other  side,  the  car  at 
once  plunged  into  a  tangle  of  by-streets,  and  Pach- 
mann  half  drew  the  curtains.  Then,  turning  south- 
ward along  Riverside  Drive,  It  joined  the  endless 
procession  of  cars  there,  in  which  it  became  at  once 
only  an  indistinguishable  unit.  Finally  it  turned  east- 
ward along  a  quiet  street,  swung  sharply  around  one 
corner  and  then  around  another,  and  stopped. 

"  Here  we  are,"  said  Pachmann,  threw  open  the 
door,  and  jumped  out. 

The  Prince  followed,  and,  without  looking  back, 
walked  straight  across  the  sidewalk  and  up  the  steps 
of  the  house  opposite.  Pachmann,  with  a  smile  on 
his  lips,  waited  to  assist  Miss  Vard  to  alight. 

*'  But  this  is  not  the  consulate !  "  she  protested, 
looking  first  at  the  house  and  then  up  and  down  the 
street.  She  had  never  seen  the  consulate,  but  she 
knew  it  would  not  be  In  such  a  house  nor  in  such  a 
street.     Besides,  there  was  no  flag  above  the  door. 

"  No,  it  Is  not  the  consulate,'*  said  Pachmann 
smoothly,  and  turned  to  Vard.  "  I  found,  at  the 
last  moment,  that  there  was  a  reception  at  the  con- 
sulate to-day  which  would  make  our  conference  there 
impossible.  I  managed  to  procure  this  house,  where 
one  of  our  secretaries  lives,  and  where  we  will  be 


THE  TRAP  339 

secure  against  Interruption.  But  if  you  prefer  the 
consulate,  we  can,  of  course,  wait  until  to-mor- 
row — " 

"  No,  no,''  Vard  broke  In.  "  Let  us  get  It  finished 
at  once  —  there  has  been  too  much  delay." 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  said  Pachmann.  "  I,  also, 
am  anxious  to  get  the  affair  settled,"  and  he  led  the 
way  Into  the  house.  '*  If  you  will  wait  here,  Miss 
A^ard,"  he  added,  and  pulled  aside  the  hangings  be- 
fore a  door  opening  from  the  hall.  "  We  will  not 
be  long." 

Kasia  stepped  through  the  doorway,  and  the  cur- 
tain dropped  behind  her.  She  heard  the  footsteps 
of  her  companions  mounting  the  stair  to  the  upper 
story;  then  all  was  still.  She  glanced  about  the 
room;  It  was  a  rather  small  one,  furnished  as  a  sit- 
ting-room, with  furniture  both  cheap  and  scant. 
There  were  two  windows,  side  by  side,  which  opened 
upon  a  lltde  court  or  area-way  closed  In  by  high  walls, 
topped  by  an  ugly  and  formidable  Iron  chevaux-de- 
frise,  which  would  be  equally  effective  In  preventing 
any  one  getting  In  or  getting  out. 

She  soon  exhausted  the  interest  of  this  limited 
prospect,  and,  turning  back  to  the  room,  spent  a  long 
half-hour  wandering  about  it,  looking  at  this  and 
that,  endeavouring  to  keep  her  thoughts  occupied. 
She  was  vaguely  uneasy,  a  feeling  of  oppression 
weighed  upon  her,  and  from  moment  to  moment  she 


340  THE  DESTROYER 

caught  herself  listening  for  some  sound,  but  the  house 
was  absolutely  still.  Finally  she  drew  a  chair  to  one 
of  the  windows,  and  sitting  down,  stared  out  again 
into  the  little  court.  It  was  dark  and  3amp  and 
well-like  and  apparently  never  swept,  for  its  pave- 
ment was  littered  with  rubbish.  Again  she  caught 
herself  listening,  her  head  half-turned.  But  she 
heard  no  sound.  It  must  be  past  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon;  she  should  be  getting  home  to  set  their 
rooms  in  order,  for  to-night  Dan  was  coming  .  .  . 

And  again  she  was  listening,  rigid,  breathless  in 
her  chair.  There  was  no  sound;  but  suddenly,  with 
nerves  a-qulver,  she  sprang  to  her  feet,  crossed  the 
room  and  swept  back  the  hangings  at  the  door.  She 
was  surprised  to  find  that  the  door  itself  had  been 
closed.  She  turned  the  knob,  but  the  door  did  not 
open;  she  shook  it,  but  it  held  fast.  And  then  she 
realised  that  it  was  locked. 

It  was  a  moment  before  she  understood.  Then, 
very  quietly,  she  crossed  the  room  to  another  door 
and  tried  it.  She  had  expected  it  to  be  locked  also, 
but  to  her  surprise  it  opened.  Beyond  it  was  a  bed- 
room, also  with  a  window  opening  on  the  walled 
court,  and  beyond  the  bedroom  was  a  windowless 
bathroom.     There  were  no  other  doors. 

She  returned  to  the  outer  room  and  again  tried 
the  door,  testing  it  cautiously  but  firmly  with  her 
whole  strength.     Yes ;  there  could  be  no  doubt  of  it 


THE  TRAP  341 

—  she  was  locked  In.  She  went  to  one  of  the  win- 
dows, raised  the  sash  and  looked  out.  It  was  at 
least  a  twelve-foot  drop  to  the  flagged  pavement  of 
the  court.  That  might  be  managed  with  the  help 
of  the  bed-clothes,  but  there  remained  the  high  wall 
and  the  threatening  Iron  spikes.  Below  her,  she 
could  see  that  a  small  door  opened  from  the  court 
Into  the  basement  of  the  house,  but  it  had  no  other 
exit. 

She  found  the  fresh  air  welcome,  and  sat  down,  at 
last,  before  the  open  window.  She  was  much  calmer 
than  she  had  been;  now  that  she  was  face  to  /ace 
with  danger,  the  feeling  of  oppression  vanished  and 
her  courage  rose.  She  was  a  Pole,  she  had  been 
trained  In  a  hard  school,  she  was  not  afraid.  No, 
she  repeated  passionately  to  herself,  she  was  not 
afraid;  and  how  she  hated  that  smooth-tongued  Ger- 
man, with  the  cold  eyes  and  smiling  lips  I  Treach- 
erous !     Treacherous  I 

**  If  you  will  come  this  way,"  said  Pachmann,  and 
Vard  tramped  after  him  up  the  stair  to  a  room  on 
the  second  floor. 

The  Prince  was  already  there,  standing  at  the  win- 
<1ow,  hands  In  pockets,  staring  moodily  out. 

**  Be  seated,  Mr.  Vard,"  said  Pachmann.  "  My 
dear  Prince,  will  you  not  sit  down?  '' 

The  Prince  flung  himself  into  a  chair. 


342  THE  DESTROYER 

*'  And  now,  Mr.  Vard,"  went  on  Pachmann,  sitting 
down  very  deliberately  face  to  face  with  the  Inventor, 
**  our  answer  Is  ready  for  you." 

*'  Very  well ;  let  me  have  It,"  snapped  Vard,  twitch- 
ing with  Impatience. 

^'  We  refuse  to  accept  your  conditions.'* 

For  an  Instant  there  was  silence,  then  Vard  leaped 
to  his  feet,  his  face  livid. 

"  So  you  have  been  playing  with  me !  "  he  cried. 
"Well,  I  suspected  It!  And  you  shall  pay!  Oh, 
you  shall  pay!  "  and  he  turned  blindly  to  the  door. 

*'  One  moment!  "  called  Pachmann,  and  his  voice 
had  In  It  a  ring  of  command  which  Vard  had  never 
heard  before.  "  Sit  down.  I  have  still  something 
to  say." 

**  I  do  not  care  to  hear  it." 

**  That  Is  nothing  to  me.     You  shall  hear  It!  " 

With  a  glance  of  contempt,  Vard  strode  to  the  door 
and  turned  the  knob;  but  it  did  not  open.  He 
wrenched  at  It  madly,  but  It  held  fast.  In  two  strides 
he  confronted  Pachmann. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this?  "  he  demanded. 

"  The  meaning,"  replied  the  Admiral  sternly,  **  Is 
that  you  are  a  prisoner  here  until  I  choose  to  release 
you.     Now  will  you  sit  down?  " 

Vard  stood  for  a  moment,  his  face  deadly  white, 
his  hands  clasping  and  unclasping  convulsively,  star- 


THE  TRAP  343 

ing  down  Into  Pachmann*s  leering  eyes ;  then  he  went 
slowly  back  to  his  chair. 

"  That  Is  right,"  said  the  German.  "  It  will  be 
best  to  take  this  calmly.  In  the  first  place,  I  want 
you  to  realise  that  you  are  wholly  In  my  power. 
Nothing  that  occurs  In  this  house  will  ever  be  known 
to  the  outside  world.  If  you  should  fall  to  reappear, 
there  will  be  no  one  to  trace  you.  You  will  remem- 
ber that  we  have  your  daughter  also.  And  I  say  to 
you  In  all  seriousness,  and  as  emphatically  as  I  can, 
that  neither  your  life  nor  your  daughter's  life  will 
cause  me  to  turn  aside  or  even  to  hesitate.  I  would 
kill  you  with  my  own  hands,  and  then  your  daughter 
—  yes,  and  a  thousand  like  you.  If  need  be  —  rather 
than  that  this  chance  should  be  lost  to  Germany.  I 
say  to  you,  then,  that  either  you  will  consent  to  my 
proposal,  or  both  you  and  your  daughter  will  suffer 
the  utmost  consequence." 

Yard's  eyes  had  never  left  the  speaker's  face,  nor 
had  any  colour  come  back  Into  his  own.  But  at  the 
last  words  he  laughed  contemptuously. 

"  It  is  useless,"  he  sneered.  "  I  am  not  one  to  be 
frightened." 

**  I  am  not  trying  to  frighten  you  —  I  warn  you." 

"  Your  warning  is  useless.  I  reply  to  you  in  all 
seriousness  that  neither  my  life,  nor  my  daughter's 
life  —  no,  nor  the  lives  of  a  thousand  like  us  I  — 


344  THE  DESTROYER 

would  persuade  me  to  put  this  power  in  your  hands. 
But  you  dare  not  kill  me.  In  this  brain,  and  there 
alone,  is  the  great  secret.'' 

"  You  forget,"  Pachmann  reminded  him,  "  that  in 
your  baggage  Is  a  complete  machine.  We  do  not 
really  need  you." 

At  the  words,  Vard  burst  into  a  shout  of  mad 
laughter.  Pachmann  watched  him,  and  his  face  fell 
into  haggard  lines. 

"  So  that  is  It!  "  jeered  the  inventor,  when  he  had 
got  his  breath.  "  So  that  is  the  great  plot!  Well, 
Pachmann,  to  that  I  answer,  *  Checkmate ! '  Go, 
get  the  baggage!  You  are  welcome  to  all  you  find 
there!" 

"You  mean  the  machine  is  not  there?  "  demanded 
Pachmann,  thickly. 

"Just  that!" 

"Where  is  it  then?" 

Gazing  into  his  adversary's  bloodshot  eyes,  Vard 
had  another  burst  of  strangling  laughter. 

"  I  have  already  told  you,"  he  said.  "  In  this  brain 
—  there  alone  —  there  alone !  "  His  face  was  red 
now,  strangely  red,  and  his  words  were  queerly 
jumbled. 

Pachmann  sat  looking  at  him  for  a  moment,  then 
he  rose. 

"  We  shall  soon  see  if  you  are  speaking  the  truth," 
he  said.     "  Whether  you  are  or  not  makes  no  differ- 


THE  TRAP  345 

ence.  If  there  Is  no  machine  In  your  baggage,  you 
shall  construct  for  us  another." 

*'  Oh,  shall  1 1  "  screamed  Vard,  also  springing  to 
his  feet.  "  Shall  1 1  How  good  of  you,  that  per- 
mission! " 

"You  shall  construct  another  I"  repeated  Pach- 
mann,  between  clenched  teeth.  "  Oh,  you  will  be 
glad  to  consent,  once  I  turn  the  screw!  Come, 
Prince.'' 

He  tapped  at  the  door,  and  there  came  from  out- 
side the  scrape  of  a  sliding  bolt.  Then,  standing 
aside  for  the  Prince  to  pass,  he  looked  once  at  Vard, 
and  turned  to  cross  the  threshold. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE  TURN   OF  THE    SCREW 

It  was  a  moment  later  that  Kasia  Vard,  still  sitting 
at  the  window  staring  out  into  the  court,  searching 
desperately  through  her  brain  for  some  plan  of  es- 
cape, was  brought  quivering  to  her  feet  by  a  shrill 
scream,  followed  by  the  sound  of  a  terrible  struggle 
on  the  floor  above.  There  was  a  heavy  tramping  to 
and  fro,  the  thud  of  falling  furniture,  a  dull  crash 
that  shook  the  house  —  and  then  silence.  It  was 
over  in  a  moment,  but  she  stood  rigid  for  a  moment 
longer,  her  hands  against  her  heart,  then  she  flew  to 
the  door  and  wrenched  at  the  knob. 

The  door  did  not  yield.  Panting  with  excitement, 
she  snatched  up  a  chair  and  drove  it  with  all  her 
strength  against  the  lower  panel.  The  chair  flew  to 
pieces  in  her  hands,  but  the  door  held  firm.  And 
then,  as  she  looked  about  for  another  weapon,  she 
heard  the  sound  of  a  sliding  bolt,  the  door  swung 
open,  and  Pachmann  entered.  He  looked  at  her  and 
at  the  broken  chair,  and  smiled  slightly. 

"  I  come  to  reassure  you.  Miss  Vard,''  he  said, 
"  since  I  suppose  you  must  have  heard  the  noise  of 
our  little  combat.     No  one  was  injured ;  but  your  f a- 

346 


THE  TURN  OF  THE  SCREW       347 

ther,  after  a  burst  of  rage  at  finding  himself  in  our 
hands,  during  which  we  found  it  most  difficult  to  con- 
trol him,  has  had  what  appears  to  be  an  epileptic  seiz- 
ure.    Is  he  subject  to  epilepsy?  " 

"  I  have  known  him  to  have  two  attacks,"  said 
Kasia,  in  a  low  voice,  with  a  shuddering  remembrance 
of  the  desperate  crisis  at  which  each  had  come. 

*•  There  is  nothing  to  be  done,  I  think,  except  to 
loosen  his  clothing  and  bathe  his  head  and  wrists?  '* 

"  No  —  that  is  all."  Mechanically  her  hands 
were  smoothing  her  disordered  hair. 

**  And  there  is,  of  course,  no  danger.  Neverthe- 
less, you  may  wish  to  go  to  him." 

"  I  do  wish  it." 

"  Then  come  with  me,"  and  he  led  the  way  up  the 
stair.  "  Your  father  is  in  there,"  he  said,  pointing 
to  an  inner  room.     "  I  will  bring  some  water." 

Kasia,  with  white  face,  passed  into  the  inner  room. 
Her  father  had  been  placed  on  a  bed,  and  lay  on  his 
back,  his  eyes  rolled  up,  breathing  heavily.  His 
hands  were  tightly  clenched,  but  already  the  spasm 
was  passing  and  the  muscles  relaxing.  Almost  at 
once,  Pachmann  appeared  at  the  door,  handed  her  a 
basin  of  water  and  then  withdrew. 

Under  her  ministrations,  the  breathing  of  the  un- 
conscious man  grew  softer  and  softer,  the  hands  un- 
closed, the  eyelids  drooped,  and  finally  his  head  fell 
over  on  one  side  and  he  slept.     Kasia,  watching  him 


348  THE  DESTROYER 

for  a  few  moments,  assured  herself  that  all  was  well, 
then  turned  out  the  light,  returned  to  the  outer  room 
and  closed  the  door. 

Pachmann  was  sitting  at  the  window,  staring  Idly 
out  at  the  deepening  shadows.  He  arose  at  once  at 
the  sound  of  her  entrance. 

"  Miss  Vard,"  he  said,  "  there  Is  something  I  wish 
to  say  to  you.  Will  you  not  sit  down?"  and  he 
placed  a  chair  for  her.  *'  What  I  have  to  say  Is  most 
serious,  and  whatever  your  feeling;;  of  Ill-usage  may 
be,  I  hope  you  will  try  to  look  at  the  matter  also  a 
little  from  my  side.  The  situation  is  this :  Your  fa- 
ther, as  you  doubtless  know,  is  the  inventor  of  a 
mechanism  which  will  make  the  nation  possessing  it 
mistress  of  the  world.  That  nation  must  be  Ger- 
many. Apart  from  my  ambition  for  my  country  and 
my  love  of  her,  I  believe  that  she  Is  the  nation  best  * 
fitted  to  possess  It.  At  any  cost,  it  must  be  hers  — 
no  cost  can  be  too  great;  a  hundred  lives,  a  thousand 
lives,  millions  of  treasure  —  all  these  would  be  sacri- 
ficed gladly,  without  hesitation.     You  understand?  " 

"  Yes,''  said  Kasla.     "  I  think  I  understand.'' 

"  It  Is  your  father's  dream,  as  I  suppose  you  also 
know,"  Pachmann  continued,  "  to  bring  about  a 
world-wide  peace  by  causing  all  nations  to  strike 
hands  together  In  a  sort  of  universal  brotherhood. 
He  demands  that,  to  enter  this  brotherhood,  Germany 
relinquish  her  share  of  Poland  and  restore  Elsass  and 


THE  TURN  OF  THE  SCREW        349 

Lorraine  to  France.  He  requires,  too,  the  virtual  ab- 
dication of  our  ruling  house.  To  such  conditions 
Germany  cannot  consent.  Rather  than  that,  we 
should  prefer  a  hundred  times  the  present  status. 
For  Germany  has  nothing  to  fear  from  the  future. 

"  Now,  Miss  Vard,  let  me  say  at  once  that  I  re- 
gard your  father's  dream  as  a  dream  and  nothing 
more.  It  cannot  be  realised.  There  is  only  one  way 
in  which  world-peace  can  be  secured  —  let  your  fa- 
ther consent  to  place  this  power  in  our  hands,  and 
there  will  be  no  more  war  —  or,  at  most,  only  one 
very  short  and  decisive  war.  If  your  father  Is  in 
earnest,  If  he  is  not  mad,  he  will  consent  to  this  pro- 
posal. I  need  hardly  add  that,  if  he  does  consent, 
he  has  only  to  name  his  own  reward  —  Germany  will 
pay  it  gladly.  Wealth,  position,  the  suzerainty-  of  a 
nation  —  all  this  Germany  Is  prepared  to  grant.'' 

**  You  have  placed  this  before  him  ?  "  Kasia  asked. 

"Yes;  it  was  placed  before  him  at  much  greater 
length  at  our  second  conference.'* 

"And  he  refused?" 

"He  refused;  but  we  cannot  take  that  refusal." 

"  Why  do  you  tell  me  all  this?  '* 

**  I  tell  you  this,  Miss  Vard,"  answered  Pachmann 
earnestly,  **  because  I  wish  you  to  understand  that  in 
what  may  seem  to  you  treachery  and  persecution,  I 
am  but  fighting  for  my  country.  For  her,  I  hesitate 
at  nothing.     Then,  too,  I  wish  you  to  know  what  our 


3S0 


THE  DESTROYER 


position  Is.  If  you  will  think  of  It,  I  believe  you  will 
find  It  an  honourable  position,  and  one  which  will 
bring  peace  to  the  world,  and  quickly.  I  hope  that, 
after  full  consideration,  you  will  decide  to  speak  to 
your  father.     Perhaps  to  you  he  might  listen." 

"No,  he  would  not  listen,"  said  Kasia,  calmly; 
"  and  I  shall  not  speak;  or,  If  I  do.  It  will  be  to  urge 
him  to  continue  to  defy  you.  Do  you  imagine  that 
any  threat,  any  torture,  could  compel  him  to  place  the 
world  at  the  mercy  of  your  Kaiser?  You  do  not 
know  him,  Mr.  Pachmann." 

"  That  Is  your  final  answer?  "  Pachmann  asked. 

"  Yes." 

He  rose. 

"  Then  I  shall  have  to  request  you  to  return  to  the 
room  below." 

"  One  moment,  Mr.  Pachmann,"  said  Kasla.  "  I 
wonder  If  you  realise  how  dangerous  is  this  game 
you  are  playing?  You  are  not  In  Germany;  you 
cannot  kidnap  two  people  here  In  New  York,  even 
by  the  Emperor's  order,  without  some  Inquiry  being 
made." 

"Who  will  make  it?  No  one  knows  that  you 
were  on  the  Ottilie;  your  room  was  empty,  your 
names  were  not  among  the  list  of  passengers;  to  all 
inquiries  the  reply  will  be  made  that  you  did  not  cross 
with  the  boat.  No  one  knows  that  you  are  in  New 
York." 


THE  TURN  OF  THE  SCREW       351 

"  You  are  mistaken,"  retorted  Kasia,  her  cheeks 
flushed.  "  One  man  knows.  I  am  to  meet  him  this 
evening." 

*'  Ah  I  but  when  he  finds  you  not  at  home,  when 
he  inquires  of  our  company,  he  will  conclude  that  you 
missed  the  boat." 

"  He  will  know  better,  because  he  crossed  with 
us." 

Pachmann  stared  at  her,  his  brows  contracted;  then 
a  slow  smile  broke  across  his  lips. 

*'  I  remember  now,"  he  said.  "  I  did,  on  one  oc- 
casion, observe  you  talking  to  a  young  man.  No 
doubt  it  is  to  him  you  refer." 

*'  Yes  —  and  he  has  a  power  at  his  disposal  which 
even  you  may  fear.". 

Pachmann  chuckled. 

"The  power  of  the  press,  is  it  not?"  he  asked. 
*'  Be  at  rest.  Miss  Vard.  He  will  not  use  it  against 
us.  He  will  walk  into  our  net  at  seven  o^clock  this 
evening !  You  may  be  sure  that  now  he  will  not  be 
permitted  to  escape  I  " 

In  spite  of  herself,  Kasia  turned  pale.  Herself 
and  her  father  she  was  prepared  to  sacrifice  —  they 
had  played  for  a  great  stake  and  had  been  outwitted. 
But  Dan!  That  he,  too,  should  be  drawn  into  the 
whirlpool  and  sucked  down  and  destroyed!  She 
turned  faint  at  the  thought.  Then  she  pulled  herself 
up  sharply,  for  Pachmann's  gimlet  eyes  were  upon 


352  THE  DESTROYER 

her,  glittering  with  comprehension,  reading  her  face, 
while  on  his  own  there  was  an  expression  of  infernal 
triumph.     She  shivered  as  she  looked  at  him. 

"  Have  you  anything  else  to  say,  Miss  Vard?  ''  he 
asked,  with  a  leer. 

"  No,"  said  Kasia,  and  turned  to  the  door,  anx- 
ious to  hide  her  face,  to  escape  from  him,  to  be  alone 
with  her  thoughts. 

"  Then  please  come  with  me.** 

She  stepped  first  to  the  inner  door  and  glanced  at 
her  father.  He  was  sleeping  peacefully.  Then  she 
followed  Pachmann  down  the  stair.  At  the  door  of 
her  room  he  paused. 

"  By  the  way.  Miss  Vard,"  he  said,  still  leering, 
"  It  Is  useless  for  you  to  fatigue  yourself  by  endeav- 
ouring to  break  this  door.  It  is  strengthened  on  the 
outside  by  a  sheet  of  steel  —  behold."  He  swung 
the  door  for  her  to  see,  then  held  It  open  for  her. 
"  I  will  have  your  dinner  sent  in  to  you,"  he  added, 
and  Kasia  heard  the  bolts  shot  Into  place  again. 

Half  an  hour  later,  a  bearded  giant  In  livery 
brought  In  a  tray  containing  a  very  appetizing  meal, 
set  it  on  the  table,  and  retired.  Kasia  realised  sud- 
denly that  she  was  very  hungry,  for  she  had  had  noth- 
ing to  eat  since  breakfast.  There  was  certainly  noth- 
ing to  be  gained  by  starving  herself  —  that,  she  told 
herself  with  a  shiver,  might  come  later !  —  so  she 
washed  hands  and  face  at  the  basin  in  the  bathroom, 


THE  TURN  OF  THE  SCREW       353 

straightened  her  hair,  and  at  last  sat  down  to  the 
meal  with  a  calmness  which  surprised  even  herself. 
She  ate  deliberately  and  well,  and  when,  at  last,  she 
pushed  her  cup  away.  It  was  with  a  sense  of  renewed 
strength  and  courage. 

Once  more  she  examined  the  room  minutely,  but 
there  was  no  exit  save  by  the  steel-lined  door.  The 
windows  remained,  but  they  opened  Into  that  well- 
like court,  with  walls  surmounted  by  bristling  iron. 
Yet  she  was  strong  and  agile;  perhaps  .  .  .  per- 
haps .  .  . 

She  snapped  out  the  light,  went  to  the  open  win- 
dow and  peered  out.  It  was  very  dark  In  the  shadow 
of  those  walls,  but  she  remembered  precisely  how  it 
looked;  she  remembered  the  door  opening  Into  the 
basement,  just  beneath  the  window.  If  it  should,  by 
any  chance,  be  unlocked.  But  that  was  foolish  to 
expect.  Perhaps  It  would  be  possible  to  twist  a  rope 
from  the  bed-clothes  and  throw  It  up  over  the  chev- 
aux-de-frlse ;  but  even  then  there  would  be  a  long 
hand-over-hand  climb  to  accomplish;  and  the  barbed 
and  pointed  spikes  had  looked  very  formidable.  In 
any  event,  she  had  the  whole  night  before  her;  she 
must  not  act  hastily;  she  must  wait  and  watch;  per- 
haps some  other  means  would  present  Itself;  perhaps 
Dan  ... 

And  then  the  pain  of  recollection  stabbed  through 
her.     Dan  could  do  nothing;  Dan  was  to  be  himself 


354  THE  DESTROYER 

entrapped;  and  yet,  how  could  that  be?  Perhaps 
Pachmann  was  lying  —  and  yet  he  had  not  seemed  to 
be  lying.  He  had  spoken  confidently,  triumphantly, 
gloatingly. 

She  sat  erect,  listening,  then  stole  to  the  door  and 
placed  one  ear  against  It.  There  were  steps  in  the 
hall  outside,  steps  which  passed,  which  mounted  the 
stair.  .  .  . 

Perhaps  that  was  Dan ;  yes.  It  must  be  after  seven 
o'clock.  ... 

She  forced  herself  to  sit  again  at  the  window,  but 
her  hands  were  trembling.  She  stared  out  Into  the 
shadows  of  the  little  court  and  tried  to  think.  But 
thinking  was  so  difficult ;  there  was  a  dull  ache  at  the 
back  of  her  eyes,  and  her  throat  felt  dry  and  swollen. 
One  thought  ran  through  her  mind,  over  and  over: 
Dan  must  not  be  sacrificed,  Dan  must  not  suffer;  even 
if  Germany  must  triumph.  .  .  . 

Then,  suddenly,  from  overhead,  came  the  sound 
of  a  sharp  scuffle  and  a  heavy  fall.  She  fancied  she 
could  hear  voices  raised  In  anger.  The  slam  of  a 
door  echoed  through  the  house.  A  moment  later 
came  a  series  of  savage  blows,  of  rending  crashes,  as 
though  the  house  itself  was  being  torn  to  pieces; 
—  and  th^n  silence. 

Kasia  stood  as  though  turned  to  stone,  listening, 
listening.  Was  it  Dan?  Was  It  her  father? 
What  was  happening  In  that  room  upstairs?     What 


THE  TURN  OF  THE  SCREW       355 

did  that  sudden  silence  mean?     Her  imagination  pic- 
tured frightful  things.   .   .   . 

And  then,  from  overhead,  she  heard  the  pacing 
of  swift  feet,  up  and  down,  up  and  down;  back  and 
forth  a  hundred  times,  as  though  driven  by  some  rag- 
ing spirit,  scourging,  scourging.  And  then  again 
silence. 

Horrible  as  the  sounds  had  been,  the  silence  fright- 
ened her  still  more;  It  was  filled  with  menace,  it  was 
charged  with  terror.  Movement,  sound  —  those 
meant  life,  at  least;  silence  might  mean  anything  — 
might  mean  death  I 

She  could  endure  it  no  longer.  She  ran  wildly  Into 
the  other  room  and  flung  herself  face-downward  on 
the  bed,  covering  her  ears,  burying  her  eyes  In  the 
pillow.   .  .  . 

But  the  terror  passed;  and  at  last  she  rolled  over  , 
and  stared  up  Into  the  darkness  and  tried  again  to 
think.  She  must,  must,  must  escape!  Once  free, 
once  in  the  street,  she  could  summon  aid,  could  raise 
the  town,  could  storm  the  house!  But  to  escape! 
She  pressed  her  hands  to  her  aching  temples. 

And  then  a  sound  from  the  outer  room  brought 
her  upright;  she  listened  with  bated  breath,  pressing 
her  hands  against  her  breast  to  still  the  beating  of  her 
heart.     There  it  was  again,  stealthy,  scraping.  .  .  . 

Slowly,  cautiously,  she  stole  to  the  door  of  the 
bedroom;  the  noise  again;  and  the  sound  of  heavy 


356  THE  DESTROYER 

breathing.  And  then  her  heart  leaped  suffocatingly; 
for  there  against  the  grey  light  of  the  window  was 
silhouetted  the  figure  of  a  man.  In  frantic  terror, 
she  sprang  for  the  switch,  found  it  after  an  instant's 
frenzied  groping,  and  turned  on  the  lights.  The 
sudden  flare  blinded  her;  then  her  straining  eyes  saw 
who  stood  there. 

"Dan!'*  she  cried.     "Dan!" 

He  was  standing  on  the  wlndow-sUl,  steadying 
himself  by  a  knotted  sheet  secured  somewhere  over- 
head; and  at  the  sound  of  her  voice,  he  reeled  and 
nearly  fell.  Then,  with  a  face  like  ivory,  he  stooped 
and  peered  In  under  the  raised  sash,  rubbed  his  eyes, 
looked  a  second  time,  and  with  a  low  cry,  sprang  into 
the  room. 

"Kasia!" 

She  was  in  his  arms,  close,  oh!  close  to  his  heart. 

"  Oh,  Dan,  Dan!  "  she  sobbed.  "  Fm  so  glad  — 
so  glad  I" 

And  she  kissed  him  with  trembling  lips. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE   VOICE  AT   THE  DOOR 

It  was  nearly  nine  o'clock  when  Pachmann  sat  down 
to  dinner  that  evening,  but  he  did  so  in  an  exceedingly 
pleasant  frame  of  mind.  He  felt  that  he  had  done  a 
good  day's  work.  In  the  first  place,  he  had  eluded 
the  spies;  In  the  second  place,  he  had  enticed  all  the 
flies  Into  the  web,  where  they  were  now  securely  en- 
tangled. There  was  just  one  way  In  which  they  could 
regain  their  freedom ;  and  that  they  would.  In  the  end, 
accept  that  way,  the  Admiral  did  not  doubt. 

Protests  were  natural,  at  first;  Inevitable,  Indeed, 
until  their  Indignation  at  the  trick  played  upon  them 
had  subsided  somewhat;  It  was  also  Inevitable  that 
there  should  be  some  heroics,  some  talk  of  honour, 
self-sacrifice,  and  such  tom-foolery.  But  these  va- 
pourings  would  soon  come  to  an  end;  a  few  hours  of 
sober  reflection  would  work  wonders  In  dissipating 
them.  And  If  there  was  need,  why,  It  would  always 
be  possible  to  apply  the  screw  —  the  screw  of  hunger, 
the  screw  of  solitary  confinement,  the  screw  of  sleep- 
lessness, of  fear,  of  anxiety  —  and  to  turn  it  gently, 
gently.     Oh,  victory  was  certain  now! 

So  Pachmann  rubbed  his  hands  together,  mentally, 

357 


358  THE  DESTROYER 

at  least,  and  enjoyed  his  dinner  Immensely.  It  was  a 
good  dinner,  but  It  did  not  seem  to  appeal  to  Pacb- 
mann's  table-companion.  That  was  the  Prince,  sum- 
moned from  his  room  where  he  had  sulkily  Immured 
himself,  and  obeying  from  force  of  habit;  but, 
strangely  enough,  his  appetite,  which  was  of  a  magni- 
tude and  reliability  characteristic  of  the  Hohenziol- 
lerns,  had  evidently  failed  him  now.  He  trifled 
gloomily  with  the  food,  and  drank  more  wine  than 
was  good  for  him  without  any  perceptible  resultant 
lightening  of  spirit. 

Plainly  something  was  seriously  wrong,  but  if  the 
Prince  expected  the  Admiral  to  make  any  anxious  in- 
quiries about  his  health,  or  to  express  regret  for  the 
scene  of  an  hour  before,  he  was  disappointed.  Be- 
yond cocking  an  amused  eye  at  him,  now  and  again, 
the  Admiral  took  no  notice  of  him.  So  It  was  the 
Prince  who  had  to  open  the  conversation,  which  he 
did  as  soon  as  the  servants  had  withdrawn. 

*'  Admiral  Pachmann,"  he  began,  with  heavy  dig- 
nity, "  I  did  not  like  the  way  in  which  this  evening 
you  spoke  of  me.  It  appeared  to  me  almost  insult- 
ing." 

"Insulting,  Your  Highness!'*  protested  the  Ad- 
miral. "  You  astonish  me.  I  imagined  myself 
speaking  most  respectfully." 

"  It  was  insulting,"  repeated  the  Prince  dog- 
gedly. 


THE  VOICE  AT  THE  DOOR        359 

**  Surely  you  misunderstood  me  I  "  said  the  Ad- 
miral, with  deep  concern.  "  Let  me  see  —  what  was 
it  I  said  ?  I  do  not  remember  the  exact  words,  but  it 
was  to  the  effect,  was  it  not,  that  your  health  was 
threatened  by  over-study  and  that  the  Emperor  had 
Instructed  you  to  take  a  vacation?  " 

"  There  was  more  than  that/' 

"  I  emphatically  denied  that  there  was  any  truth 
in  that  absurd  rumour  about  the  bar-maid." 

"  She  was  not  a  bar-maid." 

The  Admiral  laughed. 

"Was  she  not?  Then  I  was  misinformed.  But 
that  is  a  detail." 

"  In  addition  to  which,"  pursued  the  Prince,  rather 
red  in  the  face  with  the  knowledge  that  he  was  get- 
ting the  worst  of  it,  "  I  do  not  consider  that  you  are 
behaving  honourably  In  this  matter." 

*'  In  what  way?" 

"  You  brought  Miss  Vard  and  her  father  here, 
promising  to  give  them  an  answer." 

"  And  I  gave  them  an  answer,  did  I  not?  " 

**  Yes  —  and  then  proceeded  to  imprison  them." 

**  I  have  no  recollection  of  having  promised  not  to 
do  so." 

**  But  they  trusted  you." 

"  The  more  fools  they  I  " 

"  They  must  be  released,"  said  the  Prince,  firmly. 
"I  command  itl  " 


36o  THE  DESTROYER 

Pachmann  selected  a  cigar  from  the  tray  on  the 
table  with  great  care.  Then  he  lighted  it,  took  a 
slow  puff  or  two,  and  looked  at  the  Prince. 

"  Ah,  you  command  It!  "  he  said,  thoughtfully. 

"  Yes,"  repeated  the  Prince,  "  I  command  it!  " 

**  How  I  wish,"  sighed  the  Admiral,  "  that  my 
heart  was  as  young  as  yours,  my  Prince!  I  would 
give  much  to  bring  that  about !  But,  alas,  it  has  long 
since  grown  indifferent  to  red  lips  and  bright  eyes; 
this  old  heart  of  mine  has  been  hardened  by  forty 
years  of  service;  it  is  capable,  now,  of  only  one  pas- 
sion—  but  that  is  a  fierce  one." 

"And  what  is  that?  "  the  Prince  inquired. 

'*  The  passion  for  my  country  and  for  my  King!  " 
said  the  Admiral,  and  saluted.  "  My  house  is  not  a 
great  one,  as  you  have  had  occasion  to  remind  me ;  but 
it  is  loyal!  Its  motto  is,  '  I  love  and  I  obey.'  We 
are  proud  of  that  motto,  and  we  have  never  been 
false  to  it.  As  for  myself,  I  love  my  country  as  I 
have  loved  no  woman ;  for  her  I  would  give  my  life, 
my  honour,  and  rejoice  to  do  it !  For  my  King,  as 
you  have  seen,  I  hesitate  at  nothing !  Prince,  sooner 
or  later  you  must  learn  your  lesson  —  and  the  longer 
you  defer  it  the  more  bitter  it  will  be." 

"  To  what  lesson  do  you  refer?  "  asked  the  Prince, 
impressed  in  spite  of  himself,  as  he  gazed  at  the  glow- 
ing face  opposite  him. 

"  The  lesson  that  never,  never  must  red  lips  or 


THE  VOICE  AT  THE  DOOR        361 

bright  eyes  make  you  false  to  your  country  or  to  your 
house,  even  in  thought.  You  command  that  I  re- 
lease these  people  at  the  moment  when  I  touch  suc- 
cess. And  why?  Because  you  have  been  impressed 
with  a  girl's  face." 

"It  is  a  lie  I  "  shouted  the  Prince,  and  started  to 
his  feet. 

The  Admiral  did  not  stir,  only  looked  at  him;  but 
there  was  in  his  eyes  a  frigid  anger  which  turned  the 
Prince  cold. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon.  Admiral,"  he  stammered. 
"  It  may  be,  in  part  at  least,  the  truth.  But  it  is  not 
the  whole  truth.  Putting  the  girl  aside,  I  still  think 
you  should  release  them.  One  should  not  behave 
dishonourably,  even  to  one's  enemies." 

"  They  are  not  my  enemies,  they  are  my  country's," 
retorted  the  Admiral,  quickly;  "  and  I  would  point 
out  to  you  that  one  can  never  behave  dishonourably 
in  serving  one's  country.  In  that  service,  there  are 
no  questions  of  right  and  wrong;  there  is  only  one 
question  —  our  country's  glory.  Any  good  soldier 
could  tell  you  that!  But  perhaps  you  consider  it 
murder  to  kill  a  man  in  battle,  or  theft  to  take  the 
enemy's  supplies?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  Prince,  flushing  at  the  mordant 
irony;  **  but  that  is  different  —  that  Is  war.  In  time 
of  peace  — " 

**  There  is  no  time  of  peace,"  broke  in  the  Ad- 


362  THE  DESTROYER 

miral,  impatiently.  *'  Only  fools  believe  so.  Every 
thinking  man  knows  that  it  is  war,  war,  every  day  of 
every  week.  We  manoeuvre  for  advantage,  we  build 
secret  defences,  we  perfect  plans  of  attack,  we  pre- 
pare night  and  day  for  the  onset  —  just  as  we  are  pre- 
paring at  this  moment.  For  what  purpose  do  you 
Imagine  that  Germany  maintains  this  house,  with  Its 
grated  windows  and  steel-lined  doors  and  heavy  bolts, 
as  of  a  prison?  For  just  such  purposes  as  this  I 
For  the  detention  of  her  enemies.  And  it  has  been 
used  many  times  —  many,  many  times !  And  now,'* 
he  added,  in  a  voice  as  hard  as  steel,  "  as  a  reparation 
for  your  insult,  I  will  ask  you  to  return  at  once  to  the 
consulate,  to  go  to  your  apartment  there,  and  to  re- 
main in  it  until  I  see  you  in  the  morning.  If  you  ar^ 
wise,  you  will  employ  the  night  in  pondering  care- 
fully what  I  have  said  to  you." 

White  with  humiliation,  the  Prince  bowed,  and 
stalked  from  the  room.  A  moment  later,  the  slam 
of  the  front  door  denoted  that  he  had  left  the  house. 
Pachmann  sat  for  a  moment  longer,  his  lips' curled 
in  a  sardonic  smile.  Then  he  touched  a  bell.  A 
burly  fellow  in  livery  answered  it. 

"  Arm  yourself,"  said  Pachmann,  "  and  bring  your 
comrade." 

The  man  was  back  again  in  a  moment,  bringing 
another  giant  with  him.  Each  had,  strapped  about 
his  waist,  an  ammunition-belt  from  which  depended 


THE  VOICE  AT  THE  DOOR        363 

in  its  holster  a  heavy  revolver.  They  saluted  and 
stood  at  attention,  while  the  Admiral  looked  them 
over. 

**  You  will  stand  guard  in  the  lower  hall  to-night," 
he  said,  at  last;  ''turn  and  turn  about,  one  sleeping 
on  the  floor  at  the  stair-foot  and  with  the  hall  fully 
lighted.  Under  no  pretext,  will  you  permit  any 
one  to  enter  the  house  or  leave  it.  In  case  of  any 
disturbance,  of  any  suspicious  circumstance,  however 
slight,  you  will  summon  me  at  once.  You  have  re- 
volvers —  do  not  hesitate  to  use  them  in  case  of 
need  —  even  against  a  woman.  You  understand? 
Good!     Has  there  some  baggage  come?  '' 

"  Two  pieces,  sir." 

"  Clear  the  table  and  bring  them  up  to  me." 

He  leaned  back  and  finished  his  cigar,  while  the 
men  clumsily  cleared  the  table  and  placed  two  bat- 
tered suit-cases  upon  it. 

**  The  servants  who  prepared  the  dinner  have  de- 
parted?" the  Admiral  asked. 

*'  They  departed  some  time  ago,  sir." 

"  You  are  sure  that  all  doors  and  windows  are 
secured?" 

**  We  have  just  made  the  round,  sir." 

"  And  the  young  lady?" 

*'  We  have  heard  nothing  from  her,  sir." 

"  The  young  man?  " 

'*  I  glanced  in  at  him,  sir,  some  time  ago.     He  was 


364  THE  DESTROYER 

lying  on  his  bed,  with  his  eyes  closed,  but  I  do  not 
think  he  slept." 

"  Did  he  have  dinner?  " 

"  We  had  no  orders  to  that  effect,  sir." 

"  Good;  let  him  go  hungry.  You  will  serve  him 
no  food  until  I  order  it.     That  is  all." 

They  saluted  and  withdrew. 

Pachmann  turned  to  a  leisurely  examination  of  the 
suit-cases.  They  were  unlocked,  and  he  soon  found 
the  queer  box  with  sides  of  glass  lined  with  tin-foil. 
He  snatched  it  up  eagerly,  but  after  a  glance  at  it, 
his  face  fell. 

"So  he  was  telling  the  truth!"  he  muttered. 
"  Well,  so  much  the  worse  for  him !  " 

Nevertheless  he  examined  the  box  attentively,  with 
minute  concentration,  noting  the  arrangement  of  the 
interior  plates,  the  scheme  of  wiring  —  each  detail. 
Then,  with  it  in  his  hand,  he  left  the  room,  saw  that 
his  men  were  on  guard,  mounted  to  the  upper  story, 
unbolted  a  door  there  and  entered.  Closing  the  door 
carefully  behind  him,  he  switched  on  the  lights, 
placed  the  box  on  the  table,  and  entered  the  room  be- 
yond. Here,  too,  he  turned  on  the  lights,^  and  stood 
for  a  moment  contemplating  the  occupant  of  the  bed, 
who  returned  his  gaze  steadily,  with  glittering  eyes. 

"  You  are  awake,  then,  my  dear  Vard?  "  said  the 
Admiral,  at  last. 

**  As  you  see." 


THE  VOICE  AT  THE  DOOR        365 

**  You  are  feeling  better,  I  trust?'' 

"  I  am  quite  well." 

"You  have  had  dinner?" 

"  I  cared  for  none." 

**  I  wish  to  talk  with  you  for  a  few  minutes." 

"  It  would  be  a  waste  of  time." 

Pachmann  paused  to  look  again  at  the  glittering 
eyes,  and  the  thought  flashed  through  his  mind,  as  it 
had  done  more  than  once  before,  that  he  had  to  do 
with  a  madman.  An  inspired  genius,  perhaps,  but 
mad,  nevertheless.  Pachmann  knew  that  there  was 
about  madness  a  certain  childishness,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  humour  It. 

*'  For  you,  perhaps,  it  would  be  waste  of  time," 
he  said,  approaching  the  bed  and  sitting  down;  "  but 
not  for  me.  My  life-work  has  been  the  study  of 
electrical  energ}'  as  applied  to  war,  and  I  fancied  my- 
self fairly  well-informed,  when,  suddenly,  you  come 
and  prove  to  me  that  I  know  nothing.  That  morn- 
ing, ten  days  since,  when  I  stood  on  the  quay  at  Tou- 
lon and  saw  a  great  battleship  reduced  to  a  twisted 
wreck,  I  realised  my  Ignorance,  and  my  heart  glowed 
with  admiration  for  you,  my  master." 

**  Yes,  I  am  your  master,"  and  Vard  raised  himself 
upon  one  elbow.  **  Even  here,  your  prisoner,  I  am 
still  your  master." 

"  I  admit  It.  And  I  have  a  proposal  to  make  to 
you." 


366  THE  DESTROYER 

"  I  have  no  confidence  in  your  proposals." 

"  Yet  listen  to  this  one.  Place  this  power  at  the 
Emperor's  service,  and  he  will  name  you  ruler  of  any 
nation  you  choose  —  of  this  one,  If  It  pleases  you  — >. 
and  leave  you  to  govern  it  as  seems  best  to  you, 
without  interference  of  any  kind.  Think,  my  friend, 
what  a  destiny  —  free  to  embody  your  own  ideas  in 
the  government  of  what  is  In  some  ways  the  great- 
est nation  on  earth;  free  to  make  a  paradise  here,  if 
you  can.  And  if  you  succeed,  your  dream  comes 
true,  for  all  the  other  nations  of  the  world  will  fol- 
low." 

Vard  gazed  at  the  speaker  with  wistful  eyes. 

"  It  could  come  true,"  he  said.  "  It  could  come 
true;  it  could  not  fail.  But  you  are  too  blind,  too 
selfish,  too  narrow.     You  are  only  a  German." 

"And  you?" 

"  I  am  a  Pole  —  that  is  to  say  a  citizen  of  no  coun- 
try and  of  every  country." 

"  But  you  love  that  country,  even  though  it  does 
not  exist?  " 

"  Aye  —  more  than  you  love  yours." 

Pachmann  was  silent  a  moment,  thinking  deeply. 

"  Listen,  my  friend,"  he  said,  at  last.  "  I  desire 
to  meet  you ;  I  will  come  along  the  road  toward  you 
as  far  as  I  am  able." 

"Yes?" 

**  I  agree  to  reconstitute  Poland.     You  shall  have 


THE  VOICE  AT  THE  DOOR        367 

a  country  again,  and  shall  be  Its  ruler,  If  you  choose." 

The  eyes  of  the  Inventor  glowed  for  an  Instant, 
and  then  the  glow  faded  and  he  shook  his  head. 

"You  have  betrayed  me  once,"  he  said;  "you 
would  betray  me  again.  I  will  never  place  this  power 
In  the  hands  of  your  Emperor.  He  has  already 
shown  how  he  would  use  It." 

"  You  refer  to  La  Liberte? '' 

"  Yes." 

"  I  alone  am  responsible  for  La  Liberte.  It  was 
I  who  chose  that  test  —  not  the  Emperor." 

**  You  I  "  said  Vard  hoarsely,  and  a  slow  flush 
mounted  to  his  cheeks.     "  You !  " 

"  Yes,  1 1  "  and  Pachmann  cast  at  the  other  a  mock- 
ing and  triumphant  look.  "  It  was  I  who  compelled 
your  consent;  It  was  I  who  arranged  the  details;  It 
was  I  who  assumed  the  whole  burden.  For  I  was 
determined  that  even  the  first  test  should  be  of  bene- 
fit to  Germany  —  and  It  was  1  However  you  may 
wish  It,  you  cannot  restore  La  Liberie/ '' 

Vard  was  staring  at  the  speaker  with  hollow  eyes, 
his  face  convulsed. 

"  Did  not  the  Kaiser  know?"  he  questioned. 

*'  No  one  knew  but  Von  TIrpItz,  and  he  was  panic- 
stricken.  He  is  old  and  timid  —  but  I  convinced 
him  —  I  won  him  over  —  he  could  not  resist  me. 
Even  then,  his  heart  failed  him  at  the  last,  and  he 
tried  to  stop  me.     Luckily,  his  telegram  was  de- 


368  THE  DESTROYER 

layed  —  or  I  should  have  been  compelled  to  disobey 
my  superior  officer.  Oh,  I  admit  that  it  was  rash  of 
me,"  Pachmann  added,  his  face  glowing;  "  I  admit 
that  I  was  risking  everything  —  life,  honour,  every- 
thing ;  but  success  excuses  rashness  —  and  I  suc- 
ceeded!" 

"  Yes,"  agreed  the  inventor,  slowly,  "  you 
succeeded !  " 

"  After  that,"  went  on  Pachmann,  '*  it  was  too  late 
to  turn  back,  even  had  any  one  wished  to  do  so.  Now 
it  is  for  me  to  finish  this  affair." 

"  How  do  you  propose  to  finish  It?  " 

Pachmann  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  You  are  in  my  hands,"  he  said,  "  you  and  your 
daughter.  Heretofore  I  have  been  lenient  with  you, 
I  have  been  good-natured;  I  hoped  that  we  might 
reach  some  agreement,  and  I  have  tried  to  meet  you 
halfway.  But  my  good  nature  is  at  an  end;  I  with- 
draw all  my  offers.  I  demand  that  you  place  your 
secret  at  Germany*s  disposal." 

"And  If  I  refuse?" 

"I  shall  turn  the  screw!"  answered  Pachmann, 
and  there  was  cold  menace  in  his  eyes  and  in  his 
voice. 

Vard  had  raised  himself  to  a  sitting  posture. 
Now  he  swung  his  feet  off  the  bed. 

"  I  too  have  a  demand  to  make,"  he  said,  his  voice 


THE  VOICE  AT  THE  DOOR        369 

a  mere  whisper.  "  My  patience  also  Is  at  an  end. 
I  demand  my  freedom  and  that  of  my  daughter." 

"What  do  you  offer  in  exchange?" 

"  I  offer  nothing  In  exchange  I  "  said  Vard,  and 
rose  slowly  to  his  feet.  "  I  Intend  to  offer  my  serv- 
ices to  France !  " 

Pachmann  looked  at  him  —  at  his  bent  and  wasted 
figure,  his  shaking  hands,  his  trembling  knees  —  a 
mocking  light  in  his  eyes. 

*'  My  dear  friend,"  he  sneered,  "  you  are  mad  — 
quite  mad!     I  have  suspected  it  from  the  first!  " 

"  You  are  not  mad,  M.  Vard,"  said  a  pleasant 
voice  at  the  threshold.  "  And  you  have  your  fret- 
dom.     France  accepts  your  services!" 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

CROCHARD,   THE   INVINCIBLE  I 

Pachmann  jerked  round  with  an  oath.  At  the  first 
glance,  he  thought  It  was  the  Prince  who  stood  there, 
though  It  had  not  been  the  Prince's  voice.  A  second 
glance  undeceived  him.  There  was.  It  Is  true,  a 
certain  puzzling  resemblance  to  the  Prince,  but  this 
man  was  more  strongly  built,  more  graceful  —  and 
the  Prince  could  never  smile  like  that!  And  then, 
\vith  a  little  bow,  the  newcomer  removed  the  broad- 
brimmed  hat  which  shadowed  his  face,  and,  with  a 
sudden  feeling  of  sickness,  Pachmann  recognised  him. 

But  the  Admiral  was  a  brave  man,  with  a  nerve  not 
easily  shaken ;  besides,  the  odds  were  all  In  his  favour! 
:Yet  he  realised  the  need  for  all  his  resource,  all  his 
self-control.  At  the  end  of  a  moment,  he  rose  slowly, 
almost  carelessly. 

"Who  are  you,  sir?"  he  demanded. 

"  Do  you  not  know  me  ?  "  laughed  the  stranger. 
'*  Surely,  yes !  I  saw  your  eyes  penetrate  this  slight 
disguise.  I  crossed  with  you  on  the  Ottilie,  Admiral, 
as  Andre  Chevrlal.  I  believe  you  even  did  me  the 
honour  to  convince  yourself  that  that  was  really  my 

370 


CROCHARD,  THE  INVINCIBLE  I     371 

name.  I  am,  however,  better  known  In  Paris  as 
Crochard,  L'InvIncIble !  " 

"  Ah,''  said  Pachmann,  with  a  tightening  of  the 
brows,  "a  spy,  then?'* 

"  No,  Admiral;  a  patriot  like  yourself." 

"And  your  business  here?  '* 

"  I  have  already  stated  It:  to  accept  for  France  the 
services  of  this  Incomparable  man." 

Something  flashed  In  Pachmann's  hand,  but  even 
as  he  jerked  up  his  arm,  there  was  a  soft  Impact,  and 
a  revolver  clattered  to  the  floor.  Crochard  sprang 
for  it,  seized  it,  and  slipped  It  Into  his  pocket. 

"  I  was  expecting  that,"  he  said,  still  smiling. 
**  Now  we  can  talk  more  at  our  ease,"  and  he  came 
into  the  bedroom,  closed  the  door,  placed  a  chair 
against  it,  and  sat  down.  "  Pray  be  seated,  M. 
Vard,"  he  added  courteously  to  the  inventor.  **  And 
you.  Admiral." 

Pachmann,  white  with  pain,  was  nursing  a  numbed 
and  nerveless  hand.  He  sat  down  slowly,  his  eyes 
on  the  face  of  his  antagonist. 

"  You  should  admire  this  weapon,  Admiral," 
Crochard  went  on,  extending  for  his  inspection  what 
looked  like  an  ordinary  revolver.  "  It  is  a  most  use- 
ful toy,  of  my  own  invention  —  or,  perhaps,  I  would 
better  say  adapted  by  me  from  an  invention  of  that 
ingenious  Sieur  Hyacinthe,  who  was  pistol-maker  to 
the   Great  Louis.     Should  you  ever  visit  Paris,   I 


372  THE  DESTROYER 

should  be  charmed  to  show  you  the  original  at  the 
Carnavalet.  This  embodies  some  improvements  of 
my  own.  It  can,  as  you  have  seen,  discharge,  almost 
noiselessly,  a  disabling  ball;  it  can  also,  not  quite  so 
noiselessly,  discharge  a  bullet  which  will  penetrate 
your  body,  and  which  no  bone  will  stop  or  turn  aside. 
Should  you  open  your  mouth  to  shout,  I  can,  still  with 
this  little  implement,  fling  into  your  face  a  liquid 
which  will  strike  you  senseless  before  your  shout  can 
come,  or  a  poison  a  single  breath  of  which  means 
death.  And  I  assure  you,  my  dear  Admiral,  that 
I  shall  hesitate  no  more  than  you  to  use  any  of  these 
^agencies  which  may  be  necessary." 

Pachmann  listened,  glowering;  but,  he  told  him- 
self, he  was  not  yet  defeated;  and  he  sat  rubbing  his 
hand  and  measuring  his  adversary. 

"  What  do  you  imagine  to  be  the  exact  nature  of 
the  services  of  which  you  speak?  "  he  asked,  at  last 

**  Their  nature?  Why,  their  nature  will  be  of  the 
same  sort  as  those  already  offered  to  your  Emperor." 

".Yes?" 

"  The  position  of  leader  in  the  movement  for 
"World-wide  disarmament,"  said  Crochard,  and  smiled 
ias  Pachmann*s  lips  whitened.  *'  Ah,  my  dear  Ad- 
miral, your  Emperor  is  too  selfish,  too  ambitious  — 
he  has,  as  an  English  poet  puts  it,  that  ambition  which 
overleaps  itself.  He  should  have  accepted  the  ar- 
rangement which  M.  Vard  proposed.     That  would 


CROCHARD,  THE  INVINCIBLE!     373 

have  been  glory  enough.  But  no ;  he  must  dream  of 
being  a  greater  than  Napoleon,  of  world-empire;  and 
In  consequence  he  will  lose  that  which  he  already  has. 
But  I  foresaw  it;  I  foresaw  It  from  the  moment  M. 
Vard  stipulated  that  Alsace-Lorraine  must  be  re- 
turned to  France.  I  knew  that  your  Emperor  was 
not  great  enough  —  that  he  has  too  small  a  soul  — 
to  consent  to  that  restitution !  " 

Pachmann  raised  his  head  slowly. 

"  So  It  was  you  who  listened  at  the  door,  that 
night?  ''  he  said. 

"  Yes,  It  was  I.  And  it  was  I  who  discovered  that 
you  and  a  companion  whom  I  will  not  name  waited 
for  sunrise,  one  Monday  morning,  on  the  qu^]?  at 
Toulon.     For  that,  France  must  have  revenge." 

Crochard's  eyes  were  gleaming  now,  and  there  was 
no  smile  upon  his  lips.  Instead  there  was  In  his  face 
a  deadly  earnestness,  a  fierce  hatred,  before  which 
Pachmann  shrank  a  little. 

"  She  shall  have  It!  "  cried  a  voice  from  the  bed, 
where  Vard  had  been  bending  forward,  drinking  in 
every  word.     "  She  shall  have  it  I  " 

"You  hear?"  said  Crochard,  and  then  he  smiled 
again.  "  Ah,  my  dear  Admiral,  it  was  a  mistake  to 
insist  upon  that  test!  It  could  have  been  made,  just 
as  well,  upon  some  old  hulk  of  your  own  —  and  then 
France  would  have  had  nothing  for  which  to  exact 
vengeance  I     I  pity  you ;  for  it  is  you  and  you  alone. 


374  THE  DESTROYER 

who  have  brought  this  retribution  to  your  country. 
From  first  to  last,  you  have  behaved  like  a  fool  in 
this  affair.     It  was  you  who  betrayed  her  1  '* 

"I?"  stammered  Pachmann.  "I?  In  what 
way?     By  what  means?" 

"  By  means  of  the  hundred-franc  note  with  which 
you  paid  your  reckoning  at  Toulon.  That  was  care- 
less, Admiral ;  it  was  not  like  you.  You  should  have 
carried  gold,  not  paper  —  that  would  have  told  no 
secrets.  But  bank-notes  are  numbered.  And  then, 
when  you  gave  our  friend  here  a  packet  of  similar 
notes  —  I  do  not  see  how  you  could  expect  to  es- 
cape, after  that!  " 

Pachmann  struck  his  forehead  heavily  with  his 
open  hand. 

"  So  it  was  that!  "  he  groaned.  "  So  it  was  thatl 
Yes,  I  was  a  fool !  '* 

There  was  pity  in  the  gaze  which  Crochard  bent 
upon  him.  He  could  guess  what  this  good  German 
suffered  at  that  moment. 

"  That  was  not  your  fault,*'  he  said,  "  so  much  as 
that  of  the  person  who  supplied  you  with  those  notes, 
after  getting  them  directly  from  the  Bank  of  France. 
But,  at  this  end  of  the  journey,  how  clumsy  you  were  I 
All  that  haste,  all  that  circling  — •  and  for  nothing !  '* 

*'  You  followed  us,  then  ?  " 

"  Why  no !  "  laughed  Crochard.     "  I  had  no  need 


CROCHARD,  THE  INVINCIBLE!     375 

to  follow  you.  I  had  only  to  be  at  your  consulate  at 
seven  o'clock." 

Pachmann  could  only  stare. 

"  The  appointment  was  made  on  the  open  deck,** 
said  Crochard;  "  I  was  expecting  it,  and  my  ears  are 
sharp  I  Well  I  was  there  at  that  hour,  as  well  as  M. 
Webster  —  and  you  led  me  straight  here !  That  was 
careless!  That  was  clumsy!  After  that,  you  de- 
served to  fail  1  " 

*' How  did  you  enter  here?"  asked  Pachmann, 
hoarsely.     "  My  men  —  are  they  — " 

"  They  are  on  guard  below,  no  doubt.  But  their 
eyes  are  not  so  keen  as  yours  nor  their  ears  so  sharp 
—  and  then  my  imitation  of  the  Prince's  voice  and 
manner  was  very  good.  I  admit  I  kept  my  face 
somewhat  in  the  shadow.  They  passed  me  without 
question." 

Pachmann,  with  sudden  intentness,  scanned  the 
other's  garments. 

"  Yes,  they,  at  least,  are  genuine,"  laughed  Cro- 
chard. *'  The  Prince  was  most  indignant  at  having 
to  remove  them.  My  heart  bled  for  him  —  but  there 
was  no  other  way.  Beyond  a  little  tightness  across 
the  shoulders,  and  a  little  looseness  about  the  waist, 
they  do  very  well.'* 

"  The  Prince  is  a  prisoner?  "  Pachmann  asked. 

"A  hostage  —  to  be  released  when   I  give  the 


376  THE  DESTROYER 

word.  You  should  warn  him  to  choose  his  cabs 
more  carefully  —  never,  in  a  strange  city,  to  take  the 
first  that  offers!  '* 

.  "  Then,"  said  Pachmann,  his  face  livid,  "  you  have 
confederates  —  you  are  not  alone !  " 

"  I  have  friends,"  Crochard  assented,  "  who  were 
happy  to  oblige  me  by  taking  charge  of  the  Prince. 
More  than  that  I  did  not  ask  of  them." 

"  You  mean,"  asked  Pachmann,  almost  in  a  whis- 
per, "  that  you  are  alone  here?  " 

"  Quite  alone,  my  dear  Admiral,"  Crochard  as- 
sured him,  and  smiled  pleasantly. 

Pachmann  regarded  the  speaker  for  another  mo- 
ment; then  he  drew  a  deep  breath,  and  a  little  colour 
crept  back  into  his  cheeks. 

"  M.  Crochard,"  he  said,  **  or  whatever  may  be 
your  name,  I  admire  your  dexterity  and  your  daring. 
I  wish  Germany  possessed  a  few  such  men  as  you. 
Nothing,  I  suppose  would  tempt  you  —  no  wealth,  no 
position  ?  " 

"  I  am  a  Frenchman,  monsieur,"  answered  Cro- 
chard, quietly. 

Pachmann  sighed. 

"  I  see  I  must  abandon  that  project.  I  am  sorry. 
For,  let  me  warn  you,  all  your  dexterity,  all  your 
daring,  cannot  get  you  alive  out  of  this  house.  If 
the  Prince  is  a  hostage  for  your  safety,  then  he  must 
be  sacrificed.     So  far  as  my  own  life  is  concerned. 


CROCHARD,  THE  INVINCIBLE!     377 

It  is  nothing.  I  have  two  men  below  who,  at  a  shout 
from  me,  or  at  the  report  of  the  shot  which  kills  me, 
will  shoot  you  down  as  you  attempt  to  descend  the 
stair.  That  is  my  order.  There  is  from  this  house 
but  one  way  out  —  the  door  by  which  you  entered. 
You  may  kill  me  —  I  shall  welcome  that  I  —  but  you 
yourself  will  infallibly  be  killed  a  moment  later." 

"  That  may  be,"  said  Crochard  lightly,  "  but  I  am 
not  so  sure  of  it.  At  any  rate,  if  M.  Vard  is  ready, 
I  am  prepared  to  make  the  trial." 

"  I  am  ready  I  "  cried  the  inventor,  and  sprang  to 
his  feet. 

Crochard  rose  and  moved  the  chair  from  before 
the  door.  Pachmann,  with  a  steady  eye,  measured 
the  distance  between  himself  and  the  Frenchman. 

But  Vard,  his  eyes  blazing,  stepped  in  front  of  the 
Admiral. 

"  So  this  is  your  reward !  "  he  sneered.  "  You, 
who  would  have  betrayed  me,  who  would  have  made 
me  infamous,  shall  yourself  be  infamous  I  Now  it  is 
France's  turn  —  for  her  I  will  produce  a  new  instru- 
ment — " 

"  That  is  not  necessary,  M.  Vard,"  broke  in  Cro- 
chard. "  There  need  not  be  even  that  small  delay. 
I  have  the  old  one  here,"  and  he  tapped  the  pocket  of 
his  coat. 

'•  The  old  one!  "  echoed  Vard.  "  But  Kasia  de- 
stroyed it  I  " 


378  THE  DESTROYER 

"  It  was  not  destroyed.  I  will  explain.  Are  you 
quite  ready?  Then  pass  out  before  me  and  await 
me  in  the  outer  room.'' 

Still  staring,  Vard  opened  the  door.  Then  he 
sprang  to  the  table  with  a  glad  cry,  and  caught  up 
the  box  which  stood  there. 

"  It  is  complete  again !  "  he  cried.     "  It  is  — " 

With  a  hoarse  shout,  Pachmann  leaped  at  Cro- 
chard's  throat.  But,  in  midair,  a  spatter  of  liquid 
broke  against  his  face,  and  his  body  hurtled  onward 
to  the  floor. 

And  then,  from  the  floor  below,  came  an  answer- 
ing shout,  a  shot,  the  clatter  of  heavy  feet  .  .  . 

With  shining  eyes,  Crochard  dropped  on  one  knee 
beside  his  adversary,  and  bent  for  a  moment  above 
the  body.  Then  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  switched 
off  the  light. 

"  Stand  here !  '*  he  said,  snatched  the  inventor  to 
one  side,  and  stood  facing  the  outer  door. 

But  It  did  not  open.  No  further  sound  reached 
them. 

"  Cowards  I  "  muttered  Crochard.  "  They  wait 
in  ambush!  Well,  let  us  see,"  and,  stealing  to  the 
door,  he  opened  it  softly,  softly,  bracing  his  knee 
against  It. 

Still  there  was  no  sound. 

Cautiously  he  peered  out.     The  hall  was  empty. 

Noiselessly  he  crawled  to  the  stair-head  and  looked 


CROCHARD,  THE  INVINCIBLE!     379 

down.  He  could  see  no  one.  But  where  were 
Pachmann's  men  —  hiding  somewhere  in  the  hall  be- 
low, waiting  for  him  to  appear  .  .  . 

He  drew  back  with  a  little  exclamation,  for  from 
somewhere  below  came  the  groan  of  a  man  in 
pain. 

For  a  moment  Crochard  sat  with  bewildered  face, 
trying  to  understand.  Then  he  sprang  to  his  feet 
and  went  rapidly  from  door  to  door  in  the  upper 
hall.  All  of  them  were  armed  with  heavy  outside 
bolts,  but  only  one  was  fastened.  He  drew  the  bolts 
and  opened  the  door  a  crack. 

**  Is  any  one  here?  "  he  asked. 

There  was  no  response,  and,  feeling  for  the  switch, 
he  turned  on  the  lights  and  looked  in.  The  room 
was  empty.  But  in  an  instant  his  eye  had  seen  three 
details  —  the  shattered  furniture,  the  disordered  bed, 
the  open  window. 

At  the  window,  the  corner  of  a  sheet  was  tied  se- 
curely to  a  hinge  of  the  heavy  shutter,  which  had 
been  pried  open.  Crochard  touched  it  thoughtfully 
and  nodded.  Then  he  peered  down  into  the  well- 
like court  on  which  the  window  opened.  But  he 
could  see  no  movement  there. 

He  retraced  his  steps  to  the  hall,  and  again  peered 
cautiously  from  the  stair-head,  and  again  heard  that 
dismal  groaning. 

"Come,"  he  murmured;  "there  is  not  much  to 


38o  THE  DESTROYER 

fear  from  that  fellow!  "  and  he  resolutely  descended, 
eyes  alert,  pistol  in  hand.  Halfway  down,  he 
stopped  in  amazement,  for  the  front  door  swung 
wide  open.  But  at  last  he  finished  the  descent  and 
looked  about  him. 

Against  the  wall  back  of  the  stairs  sat  a  burly 
figure,  one  hand  pressed  to  his  shoulder.  A  red 
stream  oozed  between  his  fingers,  and  his  dull  eyes 
showed  that  he  was  only  half-conscious.  He  was 
groaning  spasmodically  with  each  breath.  Across 
from  him  was  an  open  door,  and  looking  cautiously 
through  it,  Crochard  perceived  on  the  floor  of  the 
room  beyond  a  second  burly  figure,  motionless  on 
its  back. 

"Upon  my  word!"  he  commented.  "That 
young  fellow  does  his  work  well!  A  charming  ex- 
ploit! But  we  must  not  be  found  here!'*  And 
without  waiting  to  see  more,  he  sprang  back  up  the 
stair.  Vard  was  standing  where  he  had  left  him, 
his  beloved  box  clasped  tightly  against  his  breast, 
his  eyes  staring  straight  before  him,  vacant  and  ex- 
pressionless. 

"  Come/'  said  Crochrard,  and  took  his  hand. 
"  The  way  is  clear.     But  we  must  hasten." 

Vard  went  with  him  down  the  stair;  but  at  the 
foot  he  paused. 

"And  Kasia?"  he  asked. 


CROCHARD,  THE  INVINCIBLE!     381 

**  She  is  safe.     Come.     We  will  go  to  her.'* 
Obediently  as  a  child,  the  white-haired  man  fol- 
lowed his  companion  out  into  the  night 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE   ESCAPE 

That  evening  remains  in  Dan  Webster's  memory 
as  the  most  crowded  and  most  glorious  of  his  life. 
Its  supreme  moment  was  when  Kasia  Vard  gave 
herself  into  his  arms  and  raised  her  lips  to  his  in 
confession  and  surrender,  and  it  left  them  both  daz- 
zled and  breathless;  but  at  last  they  were  able  to 
speak  coherently. 

"So  you  are  a  prisoner,  too?''  Dan  asked. 

"  Yes." 

"  I  suspected  it.  How  splendid  that  I  have  found 
you!" 

"  It  was  silly  of  me  to  be  frightened  —  I  might 
have  known  it  was  you!  " 

"How  could  you  have  known?  " 

"  Admiral  Pachmann  told  me  he  had  set  a  trap 
for  you." 

Dan  glanced  about  the  room  quickly. 

"  They  must  not  know  I  am  here,"  he  said,  lower- 
ing his  voice. 

Kasia  sprang  to  the  switch  and  snapped  out  the 
lights.  Then  she  took  him  by  the  hand  and  led  him 
to  a  couch  in  one  corner  of  the  room. 

38a 


THE  ESCAPE  383 

"  If  we  sit  here,"  she  said,  "  and  speak  very  low, 
no  one  can  hear  us." 

They  sat  down,  but  some  moments  passed  before 
the  conversation  was  resumed. 

**  Now  we  must  be  sensible,"  she  said,  drawing 
away  from  him.  "  They  may  go  into  your  room  at 
any  moment,  or  come  In  here." 

*'  That's  true,"  Dan  agreed.  And  then  he  re- 
membered. "  Kasia,"  he  said,  hoarsely,  "  some  one 
stole  the  box,  after  all  I  " 

He  heard  her  quick  gasp  of  dismay. 

**  Not'Pachmann!  "  she  cried. 

**  No,  not  Pachmann ;  I  don't  know  who  it  could 
have  been,  unless  it  was  that  fellow  Chevrlal,"  and 
he  rapidly  told  her  the  whole  story.  "  I  know  I 
was  an  awful  chump  to  let  Chevrlal  put  it  over  me 
like  that,"  he  concluded.  "  Once  we're  out  of  here, 
I'm  going  to  scour  New  York  for  him." 

"  Don't  take  It  so  to  heart!  "  she  protested,  press- 
ing his  hand.  "  It  wasn't  any  fault  of  yours;  and 
besides  it  doesn't  matter  so  much,  since  it  wasn't 
Pachmann.  Perhaps  we  can  get  it  back  —  if  we 
can't,  why  father  will  make  another  I  Come,"  she 
added,  rising,  **  the  first  thing  is  to  escape.  Can  we 
get  over  the  wall  ?  " 

**  It  looked  pretty  formidable ;  but  I  don't  sec 
what  else  we  can  do.  We  can't  fight  our  way  out  — 
I  haven't  anything  to  fight  with." 


384  THE  DESTROYER 

"No;  that  is  too  dangerous,"  agreed  Kasia, 
quickly.  "  There's  a  regular  giant  of  a  man  on 
guard  out  there." 

"  Two  of  them,"  said  Dan.  "  I  was  an  infant 
in  their  hands.  Did  you  hear  me  smashing  things  ? 
There  isn't  much  of  the  furniture  left  in  that  room 
upstairs  —  and  it  did  me  good!  " 

"I  did  some  smashing  myself,"  laughed  Kasia; 
"there  are  the  pieces  of  a  chair  over  there  by  the 
wall." 

Dan  laughed  in  sympathy,  with  a  heart  surpris- 
ingly light.  After  all,  it  was  impossible  to  be  either 
worried  or  frightened  with  her  there  beside  him! 

"  I'll  go  down  and  reconnoitre  the  wall,"  he  said. 
"How  far  is  the  pavement  below  your  window?" 

"  Ten  or  twelve  feet." 

"  I'll  need  more  rope." 

"  My  bed-clothes !  "  she  cried.  *'  We  can  make 
a  rope  from  them." 

She  ran  into  the  bedroom,  drew  the  blind  at  the 
window,  and  then  turned  on  the  light. 

"  No  one  can  see  us  in  here,"  she  said,  and  began 
to  strip  the  covers  from  the  bed.  "  Come  in  and 
shut  the  door,  and  they  can't  hear  us  either." 

Dan  paused  an  instant  at  the  threshold;  then, 
ashamed  of  his  hesitation,  he  entered  and  closed  the 
door. 

"  We  can  make  a  perfectly  lovely  rope  of  these," 


THE  ESCAPE  385 

went  on  Kasia,  her  face  shining.  "  I  happen  to 
know  how  —  we  teach  plaiting  in  our  kindergarten  on 
the  East  side.     First  we  must  tear  them  Into  strips." 

At  this  Dan  helped  her,  and  then  the  plaiting  be- 
gan. In  twenty  minutes  as  many  feet  of  rough  but 
serviceable  rope  was  done. 

"  Suppose  I  take  a  look  around  the  court,"  Dan 
suggested,  '*  while  you  finish  the  plaiting.  We'll 
need  a  lot  of  rope,  if  we  have  to  go  over  the  wall, 
but  perhaps  there's  some  other  way  out." 

She  went  with  him  to  the  window,  watched  him 
as  he  tied  the  rope  to  the  shutter-hinge,  tested  It  to 
make  sure  that  it  was  safe,  and  kissed  him  before 
he  swung  himself  off.  Then  she  leaned  far  over  the 
sill  and  looked  down  into  his  upturned  face,  all  her 
love  in  her  eyes.  A  moment  he  hung  there,  gazing 
raptly  up  at  her,  then  slipped  down  into  the  dark- 
ness; and  Kasia,  with  brimming  heart,  returned  to 
her  task. 

A  very  few  minutes  sufficed  for  Dan  to  convince 
himself  that  the  only  way  of  escape  from  the  court 
lay  over  the  wall.  He  found  the  door  opening  into 
the  basement  of  the  house,  but  it  was  a  strong  one 
and  securely  bolted,  as  a  pressure  of  the  shoulder 
proved;  and  there  was  no  other  entrance.  The  wall 
itself  was  not  encouraging,  for  it  was  at  least  twelve 
feet  high,  and  at  the  top  was  that  formidable  iron 
defence.     It  might  be  possible  to  throw  their  rope 


386  THE  DESTROYER 

over  one  of  the  barbed  points,  pull  himself  up,  and 
draw  Kasia  up  after  him.  Men  had  accomplished 
far  more  difficult  things  than  that  to  gain  freedom! 

He  groped  for  the  rope,  found  it,  and  mounted 
hand-over-hand  to  the  window-sill,  threw  his  arm 
over  it,  drew  himself  up  —  and  hung  there,  par- 
alysed, staring  at  what  lay  within. 

Through  the  open  door  of  the  bedroom  poured 
a  stream  of  light,  and  beyond,  on  the  bed,  sat  Kasia, 
her  head  bent,  her  fingers  busy  with  the  strips  of 
cloth;  and  in  the  darkness  of  the  outer  room,  peering 
in  at  her,  was  dimly  outlined  a  huge  and  threatening 
figure.  Dan  could  see  the  profile  of  the  bearded 
face,  half-turned  away  from  him;  could  guess  at  the 
leer  upon  it,  the  evil  light  in  its  eyes.  Then  slowly, 
slowly,  it  drew  closer  to  the  bedroom  door  . 

With  teeth  set  and  heart  flaming,  Dan  drew  him- 
self quickly  upon  the  sill,  stepped  lightly  into  the 
room,  and  crouched  in  the  shadow  of  the  table. 
Had  the  giant  heard?  He  peeped  out  cautiously. 
No,  he  was  still  intent  upon  the  working  girl.  But 
a  weapon  —  he  must  have  a  weapon  —  and  Dan's 
agonised  glance,  sweeping  the  room,  fell  upon  the 
debris  of  the  broken  chair.  Quickly  he  crept  to  it, 
and  his  fingers  closed  about  one  of  the  heavy  legs. 

Then,  as  he  turned  to  seek  the  shelter  of  the 
table,  Kasia  glanced  up  and  saw  that  bearded  face. 
Terror  froze  the  smile  upon  her  lips ;  terror  drained 


THE  ESCAPE  3^7 

the  strength  from  her  limbs;  terror  strangled  the 
cry  in  her  throat  .  .  . 

"Dan  — Dan  — Dan!" 

And  Dan,  flaming  with  such  rage  as  he  had  never 
known  before,  sprang  upright,  sprang  forward,  and 
rising  on  tiptoe  to  get  the  whole  weight  of  his  body 
into  it,  brought  his  club  whirring  down  upon  that 
shaggy  head. 

Like  a  log  the  man  fell,  with  a  crash  that  echoed 
through  the  house,  and  Instantly  from  the  hallway 
came  a  hoarse  shout,  the  rush  of  heavy  feet  .  .  . 

In  that  Instant,  Dan  was  possessed  by  a  curious 
clairvoyance;  he  could  see  Kasia,  he  could  see  his 
victim,  he  could  see  the  room  behind  him,  he  could 
see  the  hall  with  the  other  guard  running  along  it; 
hetjiew  somehow  that  there  was  a  pistol  in  the  belt 
of  the  man  who  lay  at  his  feet,  and,  without  conscious 
will  of  his  own,  his  hand  found  it  and  jerked  it 
out. 

That  other  figure  had  reached  the  threshold,  and 
Dan  was  conscious  of  his  red  face  and  staring  eyes 
and  open  mouth.  He  was  conscious  of  a  hairy  hand 
dosing  on  a  pistol-butt,  and,  again  without  willing 
it,  he  jerked  his  own  hand  up  and  fired  .  .  . 

And  the  next  moment,  with  one  arm  about  Kasia, 
he  threw  back  the  bolts  of  the  front  door,  flung  it 
open,  and  fled  down  the  steps  into  the  street. 

That  was  all  Dan  ever  remembered  of  those  fierce 


388  THE  DESTROYER 

instants.  They  appeared  to  him  afterwards  as  a 
series  of  tableaux,  each  standing  distinctly  by  itself, 
unconnected  with  the  past  or  with  the  future,  and 
he  felt  himself  to  be,  not  an  actor  in  them,  but  a 
puppet  moved  by  wires.  It  was  as  though  his  brain 
had  leaped  from  one  mountain-top  to  another,  across 
intervening  valleys  buried  in  fog. 

But  the  instant  his  feet  touched  the  pavement,  the 
instant  the  fight  was  won,  his  will  asserted  itself  and 
his  brain  began  again  to  work  connectedly.  And 
the  first  thing  he  remembered  doing  was  holding  up 
his  hand  and  staring  at  it,  astonished  that  it  did  not 
hold  a  pistol.  He  had  no  recollection  of  having 
dropped  it. 

"We  must  get  help!'*  Kasia  panted.  ''My 
father  is  there !  " 

"  The  Prince  and  Pachmann  are  there,  too,"  said 
Dan;  "perhaps  others."  He  looked  up  and  down 
the  street.  "  I  wonder  where  we  are?  There's  the 
elevated.     Come  along!" 

Together  they  sped  to  the  nearest  corner.  It 
proved  to  be  Ninth  Avenue,  and  there,  in  the  shadow 
of  the  elevated,  they  found  a  policeman  on  duty. 

It  is  true  that  Dan  was  not  as  coherent  as  he 
might  have  been  and  that  the  story  he  told  sounded 
like  a  pipe-dream;  but  the  policeman  was  undeniably 
slow  of  comprehension.  At  first  he  smiled  good- 
naturedly. 


THE  ESCAPE  389 

"  Aw,  youse  run  along  home  now/*  he  said. 
"  Tm  onto  youse!  " 

"  But,  look  here,"  Dan  protested,  "  this  is  serious. 
Tm  not  drunk  —  Fm  just  excited  and  scared.  Now 
listen.  There's  a  man  held  prisoner  back  yonder  by 
a  lot  of  Germans,  and  I  shot  one  of  them  and 
knocked  another  down  —  and  we've  got  to  get  him 
free  .  .  ." 

"Tut,  tut!  "  said  the  officer,  and  then  he  looked 
at  Dan  closely,  and  then  he  looked  at  Kasia,  and 
then  he  took  off  his  helmet  and  scratched  his  head. 
"  See  here,  now,"  he  said,  finally,  "  I'll  call  head- 
quarters, if  you  say  so  —  but  if  you  are  stringin* 
me  .  .  :' 

"  I'm  not  stringing  you !  "  Dan  cried.  "  And  for 
heaven's  sake  be  quick!  Every  minute  we 
waste  .  .  ." 

The  passers-by  had  begun  to  stop  and  stare  curi- 
ously, and  the  thought  flashed  through  Dan's  mind 
that  he  might  collect  a  posse  .  .  . 

But  the  patrolman  had  made  up  his  mind. 

"  Come  along  with  me,"  he  said,  and  led  the  way 
into  the  rear  room  of  the  corner  drugstore  and 
telephoned  to  his  station  for  instructions.  He  en- 
larged somewhat  upon  the  perils  of  the  expedition,  as 
Dan  had  recounted  them,  and  when  he  came  out  of 
the  booth.  It  was  with  a  distinctly  relieved  air. 

"  The  sergeant  says  for  us  to  wait  here,"  he  said, 


390  THE  DESTROYER 

**  and  heUl  rush   some  detectives  up   right  away." 

"  But  we  can't  stay  here!  "  Dan  cried.  "  We've 
got  to  get  back!  " 

"  When  the  sergeant  tells  me  to  do  a  thing,  I  do 
it,"  said  the  officer  composedly.  "  So  I'm  goin'  to 
stay  right  here." 

Dan  glared  at  him  for  a  moment,  and  started  to 
speak  his  mind,  but  thought  better  of  it. 

"  Any  objection  to  my  waiting  in  front  of  the 
house?  "  he  asked. 

The  officer  pondered  a  moment. 

"  No,  I  guess  not.  Right  down  this  street,  you 
said?" 

"Yes;  I  didn't  notice  the  number,  but  it's  about 
half-way  of  the  block.     I'll  be  waiting." 

"  All  right.     Skip  along." 

"  I'm  going  too,"  said  Kasia. 

Dan  started  to  object  —  the  danger  was  not  over 
yet  —  but  she  was  already  at  the  door. 

"Take  the  other  side  of  the  street,"  he  called. 

She  nodded,  crossed  the  street,  and  sped  along  in 
the  shadow.  In  a  moment  they  were  opposite  the 
house.  Nothing  apparently  had  changed  there. 
The  front  door  stood  open  as  they  had  left  it,  with 
the  light  from  the  hall  streaming  out  over  the  steps. 
The  hall,  so  far  as  they  could  see,  was  empty. 
There  was  no  one  on  the  stairs. 

Dan  gazed  at  all  this;  then  he  shivered  a  little; 


THE  ESCAPE  391 

he  did  not  understand  the  emptiness  and  silence ;  and 
he  was  suffering  with  the  reaction  from  those 
crowded  moments. 

"I  don't  like  It;'  he  said.  "Where's  Pach- 
mann?  " 

"  Perhaps  he's  not  there." 

Dan  stood  staring  a  moment  longer,  then  swung 
round  at  her. 

"  I'm  going  to  see,"  he  said.  "  It  was  foolish  to 
run  away  like  that.  I'm  ashamed  of  myself.  Wait 
for  me  here." 

He  crossed  the  street  and  mounted  the  steps.  As 
he  stepped  into  the  hall,  a  groan  arrested  him.  In 
a  moment,  he  perceived  the  man  whom  he  had  shot 
lying,  half  conscious,  against  the  wall.  In  the  room 
beyond,  the  other  man  was  sitting  up,  rubbing  his 
head  and  staring  stupidly  about  him.  Dan  took 
one  look  at  him,  then  closed  the  door  and  bolted 
it. 

"And  (hat's  all  right  I"  he  said,  and  turned  to 
find  Kasia  at  his  elbow.  He  glared  at  her  sternly. 
"  I  thought  I  told  you  to  wait  outside  I  " 

"  With  you  in  danger  I  What  do  you  take  me 
for?" 

Dan  took  one  look  into  the  shining  eyes,  then  put 
his  arm  about  her,  dragged  her  to  him,  and  kissed 
her  fiercely. 

"  Refreshment  for  the  heroic  warrior  on  the  field 


392  THE  DESTROYER 

of  battle,"  he  explained,  before  she  could  protest. 
"I  don't  think  there's  much  danger;  but  just  the 
same  you'll  stay  well  In  the  rear,  like  a  good  girl! 
If  Pachmann's  upstairs,  we'll  surely  hear  from  him. 
He's  certain  to  be  annoyed !  " 

"  Can't  we  do  something  for  this  poor  fellow?  " 
she  asked,  her  eyes  large  with  pity  for  the  groaning 
man. 

"  The  police  will  call  an  ambulance,"  said  Dan. 
"  There's  nothing  we  can  do."  On  the  floor  beside 
the  wounded  nmn  lay  his  revolver,  and  Dan  stooped 
and  picked  it  up.  "  Now,  remember,  Gunga  Din!  " 
he  added,  *'  your  place  Is  fifty  paces  right  flank 
rear!" 

He  started  up  the  stair,  cautiously  at  first,  but  more 
boldly  as  no  sound  came  from  the  upper  floor.  At 
the  stairhead  he  hesitated.  The  upper  hall  was 
empty,  but  just  opposite  him  an  open  door  disclosed 
a  dark  room  beyond.  Still  there  was  no  sound,  and, 
after  a  moment,  he  stepped  to  the  door  and  peered 
inside. 

"  That  was  where  they  put  my  father,"  said  Kasla. 
"  He  was  lying  on  the  bed  in  there." 

Before  he  could  stop  her,  she  brushed  past  him 
and  sped  across  the  room.  Then  with  a  frightened 
cry,  she  started  back.  Dan  was  by  her  side  in  an 
instant. 

*'  Look!  "  she  gasped,  and  pointed  at  the  floor. 


THE  ESCAPE  393 

Dan  saw  a  dim  shape  stretched  across  the  inner 
threshold;  then  he  perceived  that  it  was  the  body  of 
a  man.  Pushing  Kasia  before  him,  he  returned  to 
the  outer  door,  fumbled  for  the  switch  and  turned 
it.  Yes,  it  w^as  the  body  of  a  man,  lying  on  its 
face,  its  arms  thrown  above  its  head.  A  strange 
odour  greeted  him  as  he  bent  above  it  —  an  odour 
which  made  him  curiously  dizzy  —  but  he  managed 
to  turn  the  body  over. 

"  Why,  it's  Pachmann  1  "  he  cried,  and  stared 
down  at  him  with  starting  eyes. 

It  was  not  a  pleasant  sight.  The  Admiral's  face 
was  distorted  with  rage,  his  lips  curled  savagely  away 
from  his  teeth,  his  eyes  were  only  half-closed,  his 
hands  were  clenched  —  and  with  it  all,  he  was 
breathing  slowly  and  regularly,  as  though  asleep. 

*'  He  isn't  dead,  anyway,"  said  Dan,  and  rubbed 
his  eyes,  for  strange  clouds  floated  before  them. 
"  And  he  doesn't  seem  to  be  hurt,"  he  added,  look- 
ing again.  '*  1  wonder  what  happened  to  him  — 
he  isn't  a  pretty  sight,  is  he?  And  where's  your 
father?" 

'*  He's  not  here,"  said  Kasia,  and  following  her 
gesture,   Dan  saw  that  the  bed  was  empty. 

Together  they  hastened  back  to  the  hall  and 
looked  into  the  other  rooms.     They  were  all  empty. 

**  WeII>  it  beats  mc ! "  said  Dan,  at  last,  and 
stared  down  into  the  girl's  frightened  face.     "  Your 


394  THE  DESTROYER 

father  isn't  here,  that's  sure.  It  looks  like  he  either 
gave  Pachmann  his  quietus  with  a  solar  plexus,  or 
else  Pachmann  just  fell  over  on  his  face  and  went  to 
sleep.  Anyway,  your  father  seems  to  have  escaped. 
But  where's  the  Prince?  Did  they  elope  to- 
gether?" 

"  Why  didn't  father  stop  and  look  for  me?  "  de- 
manded Kasia. 

And  then  a  light  broke  over  Dan's  face. 

"  He  did  —  and  found  you  gone.  Don't  you 
see,"  he  went  on,  excitedly,  "  it  must  have  been  while 
we  were  fussing  with  that  thick-headed  cop.  And 
probably,  when  he  didn't  find  you,  he  hurried  on 
home  .  .  ." 

But  Kasia  had  already  started  for  the  stairs. 

Dan  paused  for  a  last  look  at  the  recumbent  figure. 
Suppose  the  man  should  die  —  suppose  something 
had  happened  to  the  Prince  —  there  woi^d  be  the 
German  Empire  to  be  reckoned  with,  and  the  reck- 
oning would  be  a  serious  one  —  serious  for  himself, 
for  Kasia,  above  all  for  Vard!  Very  thoughtfully 
he  turned  away,  followed  Kasia  down  the  stair, 
passed  along  the  hall  and  through  the  open  door. 
On  the  top  step  he  paused  and  looked  up  and  down 
the  street.     The  police  were  not  yet  in  sight. 

With  a  little  smile,  Dan  turned  and  pulled  the 
door  shut.  Then  he  ran  down  the  steps  after  his 
companion. 


THE  ESCAPE  395 

**  Let's  go  the  other  way,"  he  said,  as  she  turned 
toward  Ninth  Avenue.  "  We  may  as  well  keep  out 
of  this.     We  can  get  the  Subway  just  below  here." 

And  in  another  moment,  they  had  turned  the  cor- 
ner. 

Wherefore  it  happened  that,  when  the  patrolman, 
in  company  with  three  detectives,  who  had  been  torn 
away  from  a  game  of  pinocle  and  who  were  conse- 
quently in  no  very  pleasant  humour,  reached  the  cen- 
tre of  the  block,  some  minutes  later,  there  was  no 
one  in  sight. 

"  He  said  he'd  wait  for  us,"  said  the  patrolman, 
helplessly. 

The  detectives  looked  about  them,  but  there  was 
no  evidence  of  anything  unusual  about  any  of  the 
houses. 

"Which  side  of  the  street  was  it  on?"  one  of 
them  asked. 

"  He  didn't  say,"  answered  the  patrolman. 

"Well,  what  did  he  say?" 

**  Blamed  if  I  know,  exactly.  He  was  so  worked 
up  —  with  his  eyes  stickin'  out,  and  his  jaw  shakin', 
and  the  girl  hangin'  on  to  his  arm  —  but  it  was 
something  about  kidnappin',  and  shootin*  a  man,  and 
there  bein'  another  prisoner  to  rescue  ..." 

He  stopped,  for  there  was  frank  incredulity  in  the 
three  pairs  of  eyes  fastened  upon  him. 


396  THE  DESTROYER 

*'  He  was  strlngin^  you,"  said  one  of  the  detectives, 
at  last. 

"  Or  else  he  had  a  jag,'*  said  another. 

"  Dope,  more  likely,"  suggested  the  third. 
"  Look  here,  Hennessey,  don't  you  ever  git  us  up 
here  again  with  no  such  cock-and-bull  story!  Come 
on,  boys  I  " 

They  left  Hennessey  rubbing  his  head  helplessly 
and  staring  at  the  houses,  one  after  another.  He 
wasn't  at  all  convinced  that  the  strange  youth  had 
been  "  stringing  "  him  — his  excitement  had  too  evi- 
dently been  genuine;  but  if  he  was  on  the  square, 
why  had  he  run  away? 

"  Oh,  hell ! "  said  Hennessey,  finally,  and  re- 
turned to  his  post  at  the  corner. 

And  it  was  about  that  time  that  the  'phone  at 
the  German  consulate  rang,  and  a  pleasant  voice 
advised  that  a  physician  be  sent  at  once  to  the  house 
just  off  Ninth  Avenue,  as  his  services  were  badly 
needed  there. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

COUNCIL   OF  WAR 

When  Paris  dpened  her  eyes  on  the  morning  of 
Thursday,  the  twelfth  of  October,  it  was  to  rejoice 
at  one  of  those  soft  and  beautiful  days  of  autumn 
which  make  of  every  house  a  dungeon  to  be  escaped 
at  the  first  possible  moment.  Even  as  early  as  nine 
o'clock,  a  perceptible  tide  had  set  in  toward  the'Bois 
de  Boulogne,  or,  rather,  innumerable  little  tides, 
which  converged  at  the  Place  de  la  Concorde  and 
rolled  on  along  the  Champs-Elysees  in  one  mighty 
torrent. 

Against  this  torrent,  a  sturdy  and  energetic  figure 
fought  its  way  across  the  square;  a  figure  carefully 
arrayed  in  black  morning-coat  and  grey  trousers,  and 
looking  alertly  about  with  a  pair  of  very  bright  eyes 
magnified  by  heavy  glasses.  The  haughtiest  of  the 
carriage-crowd  felt  honoured  by  his  bow,  for  it  was 
none  other  than  that  great  diplomat,  Theophile  Del- 
casse,   Minister  of  Marine. 

M.  Delcasse  was  not  in  the  habit  of  being  abroad 
so  early;  it  was  a  full  hour  before  his  usual  time; 
but  he  had  an  appointment  to  keep  which  he  regarded 
as  most  important,  so  he  strode  rapidly  across  the 

397 


398  THE  DESTROYER 

square,  entered  the  handsome  building  to  the  north 
of  it,  and  mounted  to  the  first  floor,  where,  on  the 
corner  overlooking  the  square  on  one  side  and  the 
Rue  Royale  on  the  other,  he  had  his  office. 

Early  as  it  was,  he  found  awaiting  him  the  man 
whom  he  wished  to  see  —  a  thin  wisp  of  a  man,  with 
straggling  white  beard  and  a  shock  of  white  hair 
and  a  face  no  wider  than  one's  hand,  but  lighted  by 
the  keenest  eyes  in  the  world  —  In  a  word,  Louis 
Jean  Baptiste  Leplne,  Prefect  of  Police,  to  whom 
full  justice  has  not  been  done  in  this  story  — nor  In 
any  other.  M.  Lepine  had  not  found  the  hour 
early;  to  him,  all  hours  were  the  same,  for  he  was 
a  man  who  slept  only  when  he  found  the  time,  which 
was  often  not  at  all. 

*'  Good  morning,  my  dear  Prefect,"  said  Del- 
casse,  drawing  off  his  gloves.  "  I  trust  I  have  not 
kept  you  waiting?" 

"  I  but  just  arrived,"  Lepine  assured  him;  "  and 
I  know  of  no  better  place  to  pass  one's  idle  moments 
than  at  this  window  of  yours." 

Beyond  it  stretched  the  great  square,  with  Its  ob- 
elisk and  circle  of  statues.  Its  pavilions  and  balus- 
trades; beautiful  now,  and  peaceful,  but  peopled  with 
ghastly  memories  —  for  it  was  here  the  Revolution 
set  up  its  guillotine,  and  It  was  here  that  some  four 
thousand  men  and  women,  high  and  low,  looked 
their  last  upon  this  earth,  mounted  the  scaffold  and 


COUNCIL  OF  WAR  399 

passed  under  the  knife.  Surely,  if  any  spot  on  earth 
be  haunted,  It  is  this! 

Something  of  this,  perhaps,  was  in  the  minds  of 
these  two  men,  as  they  stood  for  a  moment  looking 
down  into  the  square,  for  their  faces  were  very 
thoughtful;  then  Delcasse's  eyes  travelled  from  one 
to  another  of  the  heroic  figures  representing  the  great 
towns  of  France  —  Lyons,  Marseilles,  Brest,  Rouen, 
Bordeaux,  Nantes,  Lille  —  and  came  to  rest  upon 
the  last  one,  Strasbourg,  hung  with  black  and  piled 
with  mourning  garlands,  in  memory  of  the  lost  Al- 
sace. Every  morning,  before  he  turned  to  the  day's 
work,  M.  Delcasse,  standing  at  this  window,  gazed 
at  that  statue,  while  he  registered  anew  the  vow 
that  those  garlands  should  one  day  be  replaced  by 
wreaths  of  victory!     That  vow  was  his  orison. 

His  lips  moved  silently  as  he  made  it  now,  then 
he  turned  to  his  desk. 

"  Be  seated,  my  dear  Leplne,"  he  said.  "  I  have 
much  to  discuss  with  you,  as  you  may  guess.  First 
about  La  Liberie,  My  Board  of  Inquiry  will  be 
ready  to  report  by  Saturday.  It  has  decided  that 
the  explosion  was  caused  by  the  spontaneous  com- 
bustion of  the  *  B  '  powder,  as  was  the  case  with  the 
Jena/' 

**  That  theory  will  do  as  well  as  any  other,**  said 
Lepine,  curtly.  "  But  you  and  I  know  that  It  Is  not 
the  true  one.** 


400  THE  DESTROYER 

Delcasse  looked  at  him  quickly. 

*' Have  you  any  news?"  he  asked. 

"  None,"  answered  Lepine,  with  a  frown.  "  The 
man  we  sought  has  vanished  as  completely  as  though 
the  earth  had  swallowed  him.  I  have  found  no 
trace  of  him  since  he  left  the  office  of  the  Messrs. 
Cook,  with  two  passages  for  America  In  his  pocket. 
I  cannot  understand  it." 

*' Have  the  tickets  been  returned?" 

"  They  have  not  been  returned,  and  the  Messrs. 
Cook,  making  Inquiry  at  my  suggestion,  have  a  re- 
port from  the  steamship  company  that  they  have  not 
been  used." 

Delcasse  turned  this  over  In  his  mind. 

"  Perhaps  the  man  and  his  daughter  have  met 
with  some  accident." 

"  We  should  have  heard  of  it,"  Leplne  objected. 
"I  have  scrutinised  every  report  —  viewed  every 
body  which  at  all  resembled  him." 

"  Then,"  said  Delcasse,  *'  he  has  been  suppressed, 
as  one  who  knew  too  much." 

"  My  own  opinion  is,"  said  the  Prefect,  "  that  he 
has  sought  refuge  in  Germany,  until  he  can  prepare 
for  another  demonstration  against  France." 

The  Minister  moved  uneasily  in  his  chair. 

"  I  have  thought  of  tliat,"  he  said,  "  and  I  am 
doing  everything  I  can  to  render  such  an  attempt 
impossible  — i  but  it  is  a  hard  task  —  one  can  never 


COUNCIL  OF  WAR  401 

be  sure.  There  is  another  thing  I  wished  to  ask 
you.     Where  is  Crochard?" 

"  I  do  not  know,  sir.  I  have  not  seen  him  since 
that  morning  at  Toulon  when  we  parted  outside  the 
Hotel  du  Nord." 

**  Then  he,  too,  has  disappeared?  '' 

**  Yes,  sir,  completely." 

"  Has  it  never  occurred  to  you,  Lepine,  to  connect 
these  two  disappearances?" 

**  Yes,  I  did  connect  them.  You  will  remember 
in  the  note  he  left  for  me  he  stated  that  he  hoped 
soon  to  have  some  good  news  for  us.  But  when 
more  than  two  weeks  elapse  and  we  hear  nothing,  I 
am  forced  to  conclude  that  he,  too,  has  been  baffled." 

'*  Yes,  it  was  for  me  a  hope,  also  —  almost  my 
only  one,"  said  Delcasse.  "  I  did  not  believe  that  he 
could  fail.  And  if  he  has  failed,  do  you  know  what 
it  means  for  France,  Lepine  ?  It  means  destruction. 
Oh,  I  have  spent  sleepless  nights,  I  have  racked 
my  brain!  Germany's  attitude  is  that  of  a  nation 
which  desires  war  and  which  is  ready  to  provoke  it. 
You  know,  of  course,  how  strained  the  situation 
is?" 

**  About  Morocco?" 

"  Yes.  It  has  come  to  this :  France  and  Ger- 
many are  like  two  duellists,  face  to  face,  sword  in 
hand.  Either  they  must  fight,  or  one  must  retreat 
—  and  with  dishonour  1  " 


402  THE  DESTROYER 

"  France  cannot  retreat,"  murmured  Leplne. 
*'  I  have  said  the  same  thing  a  hundred  times ; 
and  yet,  at  th'e  bottom  of  my  heart,  I  know  we  can- 
not fight  —  not  while  this  cloud  of  uncertainty  hangs 
over  us.  To  fight,  with  this  power  In  the  hands  of 
Germany,  would  mean  more  than  defeat  —  It  would 
mean  annihilation.  There  would  be  other  statues  to 
be  draped  with  black ! '' 

Delcasse's  face  was  livid;  he  removed  his  glasses 
and  polished  them  with  a  shaking  hand,  and,  for  the 
first  time,  Leplne  saw  his  blood-shot  eyes.  Delcasse 
noticed  his  glance,  and  laughed  grimly. 

"  Only  to  you,  Leplne,  do  I  dare  to  show  them," 
he  said.  *'  Before  others,  I  must  crush  this  fear  In 
my  heart,  bite  It  back  from  my  lips;  I  must  appear 
unconcerned,  confident  of  the  issue.  Only  to  you 
may  I  speak  freely.  That  is  one  reason  I  called  you 
here.v  I  felt  that  I  must  speak  with  some  one.  Le- 
plne, I  foresee  for  France  a  great  humiliation." 

Leplne  looked  at  his  companion  with  real  concern. 

"  You  exaggerate,"  he  said.  "  You  have  been 
brooding  over  it  too  long." 

Delcasse  shook  his  head. 

"  I  do  not  exaggerate.  This  thing  Is  so  terrible 
that  it  cannot  be  exaggerated.  Even  at  this  moment, 
Germany  Is  preparing  the  blow.  For  the  past  week, 
she  has  been  extraordinarily  active.  Her  fleets  have 
coaled  hurriedly  and  put  out  to  sea  —  for  manoeuvres. 


COUNCIL  OF  WAR  403 

It  is  said;  but  this  Is  not  the  season  for  manoeuvres. 
Her  shipyards  have  been  cleared  of  all  civilians,  and 
a  cordon  of  troops  posted  about  each  one.  The  gar- 
rison of  every  fortress  along  the  frontier  has  been  at 
least  doubled,  and  the  most  rigid  patrol  established. 
The  police  regulations  are  being  enforced  with  the 
greatest  severity.  Every  city  of  the  frontier  swarms 
with  sfles;  even  here  in  Paris  we  are  not  safe  from 
them  —  my  desk  was  rifled  two  nights  ago.  I  live 
In  dread  that  any  day,  any  hour,  may  bring  the  news 
of  some  fresh  disaster !  *' 

"  And  do  our  men  learn  nothing?  ** 

"  Nothing !  Nothing  I  All  they  can  tell  me  is 
that  something  is  preparing,  some  blow,  some  sur- 
prise. Whatever  the  secret,  It  Is  well  kept;  so  well 
that  It  can  be  known  only  to  the  Emperor  and  one 
or  two  of  his  ministers.  We  have  tried  every  means, 
we  have  exhausted  every  resource,  all  In  vain.  We 
know,  in  part,  what  is  being  done;  of  the  purpose 
back  of  it  we  know  nothing.  But  we  can  guess  — 
the  purpose  Is  war ;  It  can  be  nothing  else !  " 

Lepine  sat  silent  and  contemplated  the  rugged  face 
opposite  him  —  the  face  which  told  by  its  lined  fore- 
head, its  worried  eyes.  Its  savage  mouth,  of  the  strug- 
gles, rebuffs,  and  disappointments  of  thirty  years. 
Always,  out  of  disaster,  this  man  had  risen  uncon- 
quered.  Upon  his  shoulders  now  was  placed  the 
whole  of  this   terrific  burden.     He   alone,    of   the 


404  THE  DESTROYER 

whole  cabinet,  was  fit  to  bear  it;  beside  him, 
the  others  were  mere  pigmies :  Premier  Caillaux,  an 
amiable  financier;  Foreign  Minister  de  Selves,  a 
charming  amateur  of  the  fine  arts;  War  Minister 
Messimy,  an  obscure  army  officer  with  a  love  for 
uniforms;  Minister  of  Commerce  Couyba,  a  minor 
poet,  tainted  with  decadence  —  above  all  these,  Del- 
casse  loomed  as  a  Gulliver  among  Lilliputians.  But 
greatness  has  its  penalties.  While  the  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs  spent  his  days  in  collecting  plaques, 
and  the  Minister  of  War  his  in  strutting  about  the 
boulevards,  and  the  Minister  of  Commerce  his  in 
composing  verses,  Delcasse  laboured  to  save  his  coun- 
try—  laboured  as  a  colossus  labours,  sweating,  pant- 
ing, throwing  every  fibre  of  his  being  into  the 
struggle  —  which  was  all  the  more  trying,  all  the 
more  terrific,  because  he  felt  that  it  must  go  against 
him ! 

"What  would  you  suggest,  Lepine?'*  Delcasse 
asked,  at  last.  "  Is' there  any  source  of  information 
which  you  can  try?  " 

Lepine  shook  his  head  doubtfully. 

"  It  is  not  a  question  of  expense,"  Delcasse  went 
on,  rapidly.  "  A  million  francs  would  not  be  too 
much  to  pay  for  definite  information.  We  have 
spent  that  already !  We  have  had  a  Prince  babbling 
in  his  cups;  we  have  had  I  know  not  how  many  ad- 


COUNCIL  OF  WAR  405 

mirals  and  generals  and  diplomats  confiding  in  their 
suddenly  complaisant  mistresses;  we  have  searched 
their  hearts,  shaken  them  inside  out  —  but  they  know 
nothing.  Such  and  such  orders  have  been  issued; 
they  obey  the  orders,  but  they  do  not  know  their 
purpose.  They  all  talk  war,  shout  war  —  Germany 
seems  mad  for  war  —  and  the  government  encour- 
ages them.  Their  inspired  journals  assert  over  and 
over  that  Germany  cannot  recede  —  that  its  position 
is  final  —  that  hereafter  it  must  be  paramount  in 
Morocco.  And  to-day  —  or  to-morrow  at  the  latest 
—  France  must  send  her  ultimatum." 

"What  will  It  be?" 

'*"  God  knows !  "  and  Delcasse  tugged  at  his  ragged 
moustache.  "If  it  were  not  for  one  thing,  Lepine, 
I  should  not  hesitate,  I  should  not  fear  war.  France 
is  ready,  and  England  is  at  least  sympathetic.  But 
there  is  La  Liberie.  What  if  Germany  can  treat 
our  other  battleships  as  she  treated  that  one?  Yes, 
and  England's,  too!  And  If  our  battleships,  why 
not  our  forts,  our  arsenals  .  .  .  Lepine,"  and  Del- 
casse's  lips  were  twitching,  "  I  say  to  you  frankly 
that,  for  the  first  time  In  my  life,  I  have  fear  I" 
He  fell  a  moment  silent,  playing  nervously  with  a 
paper-knife  he  had  snatched  up  from  his  desk. 
"  What  would  you  suggest?  "  he  asked  again. 

And  again  Leplnex  shook  his  head. 


4o6  THE  DESTROYER 

"What  can  I  suggest!  "  he  protested.  "Where 
you  have  failed,  what  is  there  I  can  do?  " 

The  knife  snapped  in  Delcasse's  fingers,  and  he 
hurled  the  fragments  to  the  floor. 

"  There  Is  one  thing  you  can  do,'*  he  said.  "  Find 
Crochard  and  bring  him  to  me." 

Lepine  arose  Instantly. 

"  I  will  do  my  best,"  he  said,  reaching  for  his 
hat.     "  If  he  is  in  France,  rest  assured  .  .  ^ 

There  was  a  tap  at  the  door,  and  it  opened  softly. 

"  I  am  not  to  be  disturbed  I  "  snapped  the  Minis- 
ter, and  then  he  stopped,  staring. 

For  there  appeared  on  the  threshold  the  immacu- 
late figure,  the  charming  and  yet  impressive  coun- 
tenance, for  a  sight  of  which  the  great  Minister  had 
been  longing ;  and  then  his  heart  leaped  suffocatingly, 
for  with  the  first  figure  was  a  second  —  a  man  with 
white  hair  and  flaming  eyes  and  thin,  eager 
face.  .  .  . 

As  Delcasse  sprang  to  his  feet,  Crochard  stepped 
forward. 

"  M.  Delcasse,"  he  said,  "  It  gives  me  great  pleas- 
ure to  Introduce  to  you  a  gentleman  whom  I  know 
you  will  be  most  glad  to  meet  —  Ignace  Vard." 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

THE    ALLIANCE    ENDS 

Delcasse's  nostrils  were  distended  and  his  eyes  were 
glowing  like  those  of  a  war-horse  scenting  battle 
as  he  invited  his  visitors  to  be  seated.  Only  his 
iron  self-control,  tested  on  I  know  not  how  many 
hard-fought  fields  of  diplomacy,  enabled  him  to  speak 
coherently;  never  had  it  been  strained  as  at  that  mo- 
ment. 

He  sat  down  at  his  desk,  and  glanced  from  one 
face  to  the  other. 

"  I  am  indeed  glad  to  meet  M.  Vard,*'  he  said, 
with  a  calmness  that  was  no  less  than  a  triumph; 
*'  and  to  see  you  again,  M.  Crochard.  I  had  but 
this  moment  charged  M.  Lepine  to  bring  you  to 
me. 

"  Is  it  so  serious  as  that?  "  asked  Crochard,  with 
a  little  smile. 

'*  The  situation  could  not  well  be  more  serious." 

"  You  refer,  I  suppose,  to  the  Moroccan  sltua- 
tion.^' 

"  Yes.     France  must  fight,  or  yield  to  Germany.'* 

Again  Crochard  smiled. 

407 


4o8  THE  DESTROYER 

*' No,  no/'  he  protested;  "it  Is  Germany  which 
will  yield!'' 

Delcasse  bounded  in  his  chair,  as  his  eye  caught 
the  glance  which  Crochard  bent  upon  him. 

"  I  knew  it,"  he  said,  his  face  white  as  marble. 
*'  I  guessed  it  —  and  yet  I  scarcely  dared  believe  it. 
But  the  moment  you  entered,  bringing  M. 
Vard  .  .  ." 

"  M.  Vard  is  a  very  great  inventor,"  said  Cro- 
chard. *'  He  offered  his  services  to  Germany,  and 
she  betrayed  him;  he  now  offers  his  services  to 
France." 

Delcasse  glanced  at  the  little  man  who  sat  there 
so  still,  so  fragile,  with  eyes  which  gleamed  so  fiercely 
and  lips  that  trembled  with  emotion ;  and  he  shivered 
a  little  at  the  thought  that  here  was  the  man  who 
had  struck  a  terrible  blow  at  France. 

"  I  can  see  what  you  are  thinking,"  Vard  burst 
out.  "  You  will  pardon  me,  if  I  speak  English?  I 
am  more  familiar  with  it  than  with  French.  I  see 
what  you  are  thinking.  You  are  thinking,  *  Here 
IS  the  miscreant,  the  scoundrel,  who  destroyed  our 
battleship ! '  Well,  it  is  true.  I  am  a  scoundrel  — 
or  I  should  be  one  if  I  permitted  that  deed  t©  go 
unrevenged.  I  was  betrayed,  sir,  as  this  gentleman 
has  said.  I  offered  to  Germany  the  leadership 
among  nations.  But  the  Emperor  is  consumed 
with  personal  ambition  —  his   one   desire   to   exalt 


THE  ALLIANCE  ENDS  409 

his  house,  to  establish  It  more  firmly.  Instead 
of  leading,  he  wished  to  conquer.  I  refused  to  be 
his  tool.  Thereupon  I  was  deceived  by  a  trick,  I 
was  imprisoned  —  I  and  my  daughter  also.  We 
were  threatened  with  I  know  not  what  —  with  star- 
vation, with  torture  —  but  this  gentleman  rescued 
us,  and  I  came  here  with  him  in  order  to  place  be- 
fore France  the  same  proposal  I  made  to  Germany." 

Delcasse  had  listened  closely;  but  he  was  plainly 
confused  and  astonished. 

"  Before  going  further,*'  he  suggested,  "  I  should 
very  much  like  to  hear  M.  Crochard's  story.  There 
is  much  about  this  extraordinary  affair  which  I  do  not 
understand  —  and  I  desire  to  understand  everything. 
Will  you  not  begin  at  the  beginning,  my  friend?  " 

"  It  was  very  simple,"  said  Crochard,  and  told 
briefly  of  the  pursuit,  of  the  encounters  on  the  Ottilie, 
and  of  the  final  struggle  in  New  York.  "  After  our 
escape,"  he  concluded,  "  we  hastened  to  M.  Vard*s 
residence,  where,  as  I  anticipated,  his  daughter  and 
that  admirable  M.  Webster  whom  she  loves,  soon 
joined  us.  It  was  a  most  happy  reunion,  and  in  the 
end,  M.  Webster  forgave  me  for  the  theft  of  the 
little  box.  Of  our  plans  we  said  nothing,  except  that 
M.  Vard  was  journeying  back  with  me  to  Paris,  and 
wc  were  aboard  the  Lusitania  when  she  sailed  next 
morning.  We  arrived  at  Liverpool  last  night,  and 
here  we  arc  I  " 


4IO  THE  DESTROYER 

Leplne's  face  was  shining  with  a  great  enthusiasm. 

**  Permit  me  to  congratulate  you,  sir,"  he  said. 
"  It  was  finely  done.  I  realise  that  the  more  deeply 
because  I  myself  was  completely  baffled;  and  yet  it 
should  have  occurred  to  me  that  the  Captain  of  the 
Ottilie  might  wish  to  deceive  me.  My  theory  was, 
however,  that  the  tickets  had  been  purchased  to 
throw  me  off  the  scent.  M.  Vard  had,  of  course,  as 
I  supposed,  sought  refuge  in  Germany.  Even  yet  I 
do  not  understand  why  he  should  have  gone  to  Amer- 
ica." 

The  remark  was,  in  a  way,  addressed  to  the  in- 
ventor, but  he  had  fallen  into  revery  and  paid  no 
heed  to  it. 

"  He  is  often  like  that,"  said  Crochard,  in  rapid 
French.  *'  I  suspect  that  something  is  wrong  here," 
and  he  touched  his  forehead.  "  The  trip  to  Amer- 
ica was,  as  I  understand  it,  a  matter  of  sentiment 
with  him.  He  insisted  that  this  great  treaty,  which 
was  to  bring  about  world-wide  peace  and  the  broth- 
erhood of  man,  should  be  signed  on  American 
soil." 

"He  is  really  in  earnest  about  that  treaty?" 
asked  Delcasse.     "  He  is  not  a  mercenary?  " 

"  Mercenary?  Far  from  it,  sir.  Why,  M.  Del- 
casse, he  was  asked  to  choose  his  own  reward,  and  he 
refused.  He  is  utterly  in  earnest  —  he  asks  nothing 
for  himself.     And  I  believe  his  idea  practicable.     I 


THE  ALLIANCE  ENDS  411 

hope  that  you  will  consider  it  carefully,  sir.  The 
Emperor  refused  because  of  his  conditions.  One 
was  the  reconstltutlon  of  Poland  —  he  is  himself  a 
Pole.  The  other  was  the  restoration  of  Alsace- 
Lorraine  to  France.  Pachmann  did  at  last  agree  to 
give  up  Poland  —  and  to  make  him  King  of  it,  if  he 
chose !  —  but  the  other  condition  was  too  much  for 
him.  Besides,  he  thought  the  game  was  in  his  hands 
—  he  saw  his  Emperor  ruler  of  the  world  I  Permit 
me  to  outline  for  you  the  plan  of  this  remarkable 
man." 

And  clearly  but  briefly,  Crochard  laid  before  the 
astonished  Minister  the  plan  for  world-wide  disarma- 
ment, for  universal  peace,  for  the  freeing  of  subject 
peoples,  for  the  restoration  of  conquered  territory, 
and  for  the  gradual  establishment  of  representative 
government,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  hereditary  rulers, 
great  and  small. 

**  And  I  see  no  reason,"  Crochard  concluded, 
"  why  France  should  hesitate  to  give  herself  whole- 
heartedly to  this  plan.  With  all  of  these  things  she 
IS  in  sympathy ;  *  Liberty,  Equality,  Fraternity '  has 
been  her  watchword  for  a  hundred  years.  Once  we 
regain  Alsace-Lorraine,  we  can  be  well-content  to  lay 
down  our  arms.  I  believe  that  we  can  secure  the 
support  of  the  United  States  and  perhaps  of  Eng- 
land. To  the  United  States,  a  project  so  idealistic 
would  be  certain  to  appeal ;  and  as  for  England,  she 


412  THE  DESTROYER 

is  terrified  at  heart,  she  fears  the  future,  she  staggers 
under  the  burden  of  her  great  armaments  —  which 
yet  are  not  great  enough.  Yes,  we  could  win  Eng- 
land!" 

Delcasse  had  listened  with  gleaming  eyes,  all  the 
dreamer  within  him  afire  at  the  splendid  vision  which 
Crochard's  words  evoked. 

**  You  are  right !  "  he  cried,  and  sprang  to  his  feet 
and  approached  the  inventor,  his  hands  outstretched. 
*'  M.  Vard,"  he  said,  "  on  behalf  of  France,  I  accept 
your  proposal !  " 

Vard  was  on  his  feet  also,  and  his  whole  frame 
was  shaking. 

"  You  are  sincere  ?  "  he  stammered,  peering  into 
Delcasse's  eyes,  "You  are  in  earnest?  You  are 
not  deceiving  me  ?  '* 

"  No!  "  said  Delcasse,  solemnly.  "  I  am  not  de- 
ceiving you.  I  swear  it,  on  my  honour.  France 
will  be  proud  to  take  her  place  at  the  head  of  this 
great  movement."  And  then  he  stopped,  and  a 
shadow  flitted  across  his  face.  "  There  is  but  one 
condition,"  he  added.  "  You  must  prove  to  us  that 
this  power  really  exists." 

"I  agree  to  that!"  cried  Vard,  eagerly.  "I 
agree  to  that  —  yes,  yes,  I  even  wish  it.  Any  proof, 
any  test  —  it  shall  be  yours  to  choose.  And  remem- 
ber—-the  Germans  were  not  merciful!  " 

"I  shall  remember!  "  said  Delcasse  hoarsely,  his 


THE  ALLIANCE  ENDS  413 

face  quivering;  and  he  caught  himself  away  and 
stood  for  a  moment  at  the  window,  struggling  for 
self-control.  Through  the  square  below  all  Paris 
poured,  on  its  way  to  drive  in  the  Bols,  careless, 
happy,  all  unconscious  of  the  crisis  in  its  country's 
history  which  the  moment  marked.  And  then,  by 
habit,  Delcasse's  eyes  wandered  to  that  great  statue 
by  Pradier,  with  the  pile  of  mourning  wreaths  be- 
fore it.  .  .  . 

**  I  have  chosen !  "  he  said,  in  a  choked  voice. 
"  The  test  shall  be  made  at  Strasbourg!  " 

The  inventor  bowed. 

"  If  I  may  retire,"  he  said,  "  I  will  begin  my  prep- 
arations at  once.  I  shall  need  to  work  for  a  day,  or 
perhaps  two  days,  in  some  well-equipped  wireless 
laboratory.  All  other  arrangements  I  shall  leave  to 
you.  It  will  be  necessary  to  secure  two  stations  in 
sight  of  the  arsenal,  and  within  five  miles  of  it,  where 
WQ  can  work  without  fear  of  being  disturbed." 

**  I  will  attend  to  all  that,"  agreed  Delcasse,  and 
touched  a  bell.  "  If  General  Marbeau  Is  In  his  of- 
fice," he  added  to  his  secretary,  "please  say  that  I 
wish  to  see  him  at  once." 

The  door  had  closed  behind  the  French  Chief  of 
iWireless  and  the  white-haired  enthusiast,  and  for  a 
moment  the  three  men  who  were  left  behind  gazed 
at  each  other  in  silence. 


414  THE  DESTROYER 

"  Do  you  believe  In  this  power?  '^  asked  Delcasse, 
at  last. 

"  There  was  La  Liberie,^'  Crochard  reminded 
him. 

"  True/*  and  the  Minister  fell  silent  again. 

"  To  attack  the  fort  at  Strasbourg  will  not  be 
easy,"  said  Crochard,  at  last.  **  The  Germans  are 
no  doubt  already  on' their  guard." 

Delcasse  smote  his  forehead  with  his  open  palm. 

*'  That  is  it!  "  he  cried.  "  Leplne,  that  is  the  ex- 
planation! It  Is  not  for  war  they  prepare;  It  Is  In 
terror  they  withdraw  their  fleets  into  mid-ocean  and 
throw  cordons  of  soldiers  about  their  forts !  At  this 
moment.  In  spite  of  their  bold  front,  the  Emperor 
and  his  ministers  are  trembling !  For  of  course  they 
know  that  Pachmann  failed  —  and  that  we  suc- 
ceeded!" 

"  Undoubtedly,"  Crochard  agreed.  "  Pachmann 
would  notify  the  Emperor  of  his  failure  as  soon  as 
he  regained  consciousness !  " 

"  Not  a  pleasant  task,"  chuckled  Delcasse.  "  He 
has  my  pity.     What  happened  to  the  Prince?" 

"  The  Prince  was  released  next  morning." 

"  You  have  friends,  then,  In  New  York?  "  asked 
Leplne,  curiously. 

"  I  have  friends  everywhere,"  answered  Crochard 
quietly. 

"When  I  think  of  the  Kaiser  trembling!"  cried 


THE  ALLIANCE  ENDS  415 

Delcasse.  "  Ah,  what  anguish  must  be  his  I  I  have 
tasted  it,  and  I  know !  " 

Crochard  took  from  his  coat  a  long  pocket-book. 

"  This  belonged  to  Admiral  Pachmann,"  he  said. 
*'  I  paused  long  enough  to  secure  It,  because  it  con- 
tained a  document  which  I  was  most  anxious  to  pos- 
sess. It  will  Interest  you,  sir,''  and  he  drew  out  a 
black-sealed  envelope  and  passed  It  to  Delcasse. 

The  latter  opened  It,  took  out  the  stiff  sheet  of 
paper  he  found  within,  read  It,  re-read  It,  and  then 
stared  at  Crochard  stupefied. 

"  That  Is  what  one  might  call  an  Imperial  power 
of  attorney,"  said  Crochard,  with  a  litde  laugh.  "  It 
is  sufficiently  comprehensive.  Is  it  not?'' 

"  It  Is  unbelievable  I  "  cried  Delcasse,  and  handed 
the  paper  to  Leplne.  "  And  this  was  really  given  by 
the  Emperor  to  Pachmann?" 

"  I  see  no  reason  to  doubt  It.  Though,"  Crochard 
added,  with  a  smile,  **  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  Pach- 
mann put  It  to  uses  and  went  to  lengths  which  the 
Emperor  did  not  contemplate  —  perhaps  would  have 
forbidden." 

Delcasse's  eyes  were  glowing  with  an  infernal  joy, 

**  That  does  not  matter,"  he  said.  "  That  was 
because  his  hand  was  forced.  It  is  the  Emperor  who 
is  responsible  —  it  is  a  risk  he  took.  If  he  chose  his 
instrument  badly,  it  is  he  who  must  suffer  for  it.  You 
permit  me  to  retain  this  paper?  " 


41 6  THE  DESTROYER 

*'  Certainly.     Use    it    as    you    think    best    for 
France !  " 

Delcasse  was  out  of  his  chair,  striding  up  and  down 
the  room. 

**  So  the  wheel  has  turned!"  he  cried.  "You 
may  not  remember  it,  M.  Crochard  —  to  you  it  may 
have  seemed  a  small  thing  —  but  six  years  ago,  the 
Emperor  caused  me  to  be  driven  from  the  foreign 
office  because  I  did  and  said  certain  things  which  dis- 
pleased him.  Such  was  his  power  even  here  in 
Paris!  You  will  scarcely  credit  it,  but  so  it  was. 
And  now  it  is  my  turn !  With  this  in  my  hand,  all 
things  are  possible !  He  must  have  been  mad  to  put 
his  hand  to  such  a  paper  —  but,  after  all,  it  does  not 
astonish  me.  He  is  always  doing  mad  things ;  he  has 
no  balance,  no  self-control.  Ten  years  ago,  with  an 
imprudent  telegram,  he  almost  plunged  his  country 
into  war  with  England  —  and  at  a  moment,  too, 
when  it  was  wholly  unprepared !  Two  years  ago,  a 
wild  speech  of  his  brought  Germany  to  the  brink  of 
revolution.  Last  year,  he  nearly  upset  his  empire  by 
an  indiscreet  interview  which  was  suppressed  just  in 
time.  He  is  always  in  hot  water,  but  heretofore  his 
good  fortune  has  been  amazing.  He  has  always  suc- 
ceeded in  extricating  himself.  This  time,  it  seems, 
he  has  tempted  the  gods  once  too  often  —  the  game 
is  in  our  hands.  Our  ultimatum  I  will  prepare  to- 
day, and  I  will  invite  to  my  office  the  German  am- 


THE  ALLIANCE  ENDS  417 

bassador,  and  I  will  hand  him  that  ultimatum,  and  I 
will  say  certain  things  to  him  which  have  long  been 
biting  at  my  throat  for  utterance,  and  then  I  will  give 
him  a  glimpse  of  this  document,  and  finally  I  will 
send  him  away.  Ah,  there  Vv^ill  be  consternation  at 
Berlin  to-night  I  "  Suddenly  Delcasse  stopped  in 
front  of  Crochard's  chair.  "  My  friend,"  he  said,  in 
another  tone,  "  you  have  saved  France.  You  must 
name  your  own  reward.  I  grant  it,  before  you  ask 
it." 

"  Well,  yes,"  said  Crochard,  smiling,  "  I  shall  not 
refuse.  At  Toulon,  on  the  quay  opposite  the  spot 
where  lies  the  wreck  of  La  Liberie,  a  friend  of  mine 
conducts  a  cafe.  It  was  he  who  noticed  the  two  Ger- 
mans —  it  was  he  who  gave  me  my  first  clue.  So  he 
deserves  a  reward  on  his  own  account.  He  is  an 
honest  man,  who  has  suffered  unjustly.  Four  years 
ago  he  was  condemned  to  prison  for  killing  the  be- 
trayer of  his  daughter.  He  is  called  Samson.  M. 
Lepine  will  no  doubt  recall  the  circumstances." 

**  I  recall  them  very  well,"  said  Lepine.  **  Sam- 
son escaped  the  day  after  he  was  sentenced.  I  could 
find  no  trace  of  him,  until  I  saw  him  at  Toulon." 

•*  But  you  did  not  arrest  him  I  "  said  Crochard 
quickly. 

**  I  promised  to  take  no  action  until  you  and  I  had 
talked  together." 

"  Thank  you,  M.  Lepine,"  said  Crochard  warmly. 


4i8  THE  DESTROYER 

*'  I  have  always  respected  you  as  a  man  of  your  word. 
It  was  I  who  assisted  Samson  to  escape,  since  his  pun- 
ishment seemed  to  me  undeserved;  it  was  I  who  se- 
cured false  papers  for  him  and  established  him  at 
Toulon.  He  has  done  well,  but  he  dare  not  have 
his  family  \yith  him.  He  loves  his  family,  and  with- 
out them  he  finds  life  sad.  M.  Delcasse,  you  have 
told  me  to  name  a  reward  —  I  ask  that  Samson  may 
be  pardoned." 

"It  is  granted,"  said  Delcasse,  in  a  low  voice; 
"  but  is  there  nothing  else  ?  Is  there  nothing  I  can 
do  for  you,  my  friend?  " 

Crochard  had  arisen  and  he  and  the  great  Minis- 
ter stood  face  to  face. 

"  Yes,  there  is  something,  sir,"  he  said,  "  which 
you  can  do  for  me,  and  which  will  make  me  very 
proud.  You  are  a  great  man,  and  I  admire  you. 
There  are  not  many  men  to  whom  I  raise  my  hat ;  but 
I  salute  you,  sir,  and  I  hope  you  will  accept  my 
hand!" 

Delcasse*s  hand  shot  out  and  seized  Crochard's 
and  held  it  close. 

"  It  is  I  who  am  honoured!  "  he  said  thickly. 

But  at  the  end  of  a  moment,  Crochard  drew  his 
hand  away. 

"  Do  not  idealise  me,  sir,"  he  said.  "  I  am  out- 
side the  law;  you  and  I  go  different  ways.  If  for 
once,  M.  Lepine  and  I  have  worked  together,  it  was 


THE  ALLIANCE  ENDS  419 

because  France  demanded  it.  We  admire  each 
other;  we  have  found  that  we  possess  certain  quali- 
ties in  common.  But  now  I  have  done  my  part;  the 
rest  is  in  your  hands.  So  I  say  adieu ;  our  alliance  is 
over;  we  are  enemies  again — " 

"  Not  enemies,"  broke  in  Delcasse,  quickly. 
"  Antagonists  perhaps;  but  not  enemies.     I  wish  — " 

"  No,  do  not  wish,"  said  Crochard.  "  My  life 
satisfies  me.  I  have  a  certain  work  to  do,  and  I  am 
happy  in  doing  it.  But  I  accept  your  word  —  hence- 
forth we  are  antagonists,  not  enemies.     Adieu,  sir." 

The  door  closed,  and  Delcasse,  dropping  heavily 
into  his  chair,  gazed  mutely  into  Lepine*s  inscrutable 
cy-es. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

STRASBOURG 

A  MILE  or  two  back  from  the  Rhine,  on  the  banks 
of  the  111,  stands  the  fair  city  of  Strasbourg.  Once 
she  was  proud  as  well  as  fair;  but  her  pride  has  been 
trailed  in  the  dust.  For  four  centuries  a  free  city, 
defending  herself  virgin-like  against  all  comers,  for 
two  centuries  more  the  happy  capital  of  the  loveliest 
of  French  provinces,  she  has  borne  for  forty  years 
the  chain  of  the  conqueror  and  bowed  her  head  be- 
neath the  lash.  But  she  is  French  still  —  French  to 
the  very  core  of  her;  and  though  her  hands  are 
bound,  her  soul  is  free ! 

The  oldest  part  of  the  town  has  changed  but  little 
with  the  centuries.  There  are  the  narrow  crooked 
streets,  the  tall  half-timbered  houses  with  their  many- 
dormered  roofs,  and  there  is  the  grey  Minster,  which 
has  looked  down  on  the  city  through  all  her  fortunes. 
To  the  north  lie  the  newer  quarters  of  the  town, 
spick  and  span,  and  to  the  south  are  great  arsenals 
and  barracks,  guarded  by  a  mighty  fortification. 

For  Strasbourg  is  now  one  of  the  great  strong- 
holds of  the  German  Empire.  Haunted  by  the  fear 
that  France  may  one  day  come  pouring  up  from  the 
south  to  regain  her  lost  city,  the  engineers  of  the 

420 


STRASBOURG  421 

Kaiser  have  laboured  with  their  every  talent  for  her 
defence.  Far-flung,  a  circle  of  fourteen  forts  girdles 
her  round,  and  within  them  rampart  follows  rampart, 
culminating  in  tho  mighty  citadel. 

What  hope  can  an  army,  however  great,  have  of 
capturing  such  a  place?  In  the  mind  of  every  Ger- 
man engineer  there  is  but  one  adjective,  and  always 
one,  associated  with  it  —  impregnable. 

And  yet,  in  this  mid-month  of  October,  there  was 
in  the  air  a  feeling  of  uneasiness,  impalpable,  not  to 
be  defined  or  even  spoken  of  —  but  present,  ever- 
present.  From  far-distant  posts  of  the  Empire, 
troops  had  been  hurried  southward,  until  the  usual 
garrison  of  fifteen  thousand  men  had  been  more  than 
doubled.  Every  rampart  was  manned,  every  wall 
had  its  sentry,  and  through  the  streets  patrols  moved 
constantly,  their  gaze  directed  at  the  house-tops. 
Their  orders  were  to  see  that  no  one  stretched  a  wire 
to  any  building;  to  arrest  any  one  found  doing  so, 
and  send  him  at  once  to  Berlin,  under  guard. 

The  restaurants,  the  hotels,  the  cafes  —  every 
place  where  crowds  assembled  —  swarmed  with 
strangers,  speaking  French,  it  is  true,  but  with  an  ac- 
cent which,  to  acute  ears,  betrayed  their  origin  and 
made  one  wonder  at  their  pro-Gallic  sentiments. 
The  French  and  German  residents  of  the  town  drew 
imperceptibly  apart,  grew  a  little  more  formal,  ceased 
the  exchange  of  friendly  visits.     No  one  knew  what 


422  THE  DESTROYER 

was  about  to  happen,  but  every  one  felt  that  a  crisis 
of  some  sort  was  at  hand. 

The  commandant  changed,  In  those  days,  from  a 
bluff,  self-confident  and  brave  soldier  to  a  shrunken 
craven,  trembling  at  shadows.  If  he  had  known 
where  the  danger  lay,  or  what  it  was,  he  would  have 
met  it  valiantly  enough;  but  he  knew  scarcely  more 
than  did  his  humblest  soldier.  He  knew  that  the 
peril  was  very  great;  he  knew  that  at  any  moment 
his  magazines  might  blow  up  beneath  his  feet;  he 
knew  that  what  he  had  to  guard  against  was  the 
stringing  of  wires,  the  establishment  of  a  wireless 
plant.  Every  stranger  must  be  watched,  his  regis- 
tration investigated,  his  baggage  at  all  times  kept 
under  surveillance.  A  stranger  carrying  a  bundle  in 
the  streets  must  always  be  followed.  Every  resident 
receiving  a  roomer,  a  boarder,  or  even  a  guest  from 
another  city  must  make  immediate  return  to  the  po- 
lice. 

How  many  times  had  the  commandant  read  these 
instructions !  And  always,  at  the  last,  he  read  twice 
over  the  paragraph  at  the  bottom  of  the  sheet,  under- 
lined in  red: 

*'  At  all  hours  of  the  day  or  night,  two  operators  will 
be  on  duty  at  every  wireless  station,  their  receivers  at  their 
ears,  their  instruments  adjusted.  Should  they  perceive  any 
signal  which  they  are  unable  to  explain,  especially  a  series 
of  measured  dashes,  they  will  report  the  same  immediately 


STRASBOURG  423 

to  the  commandant,  who  will  turn  out  his  entire  command 
and  cause  a  thorough  search  to  be  made  at  once  of  all  house- 
tops, hills  and  eminences  of  every  sort  within  a  radius  of 
five  miles.  All  wires  whose  use  is  not  fully  apparent  will 
be  torn  down  and  all  persons  having  access  to  such  wires 
will  be  arrested  and  held  for  interrogation.  SHOULD 
THE  SERIES  OF  SIGNALS  BEGIN  A  SECOND 
TIME,  ALL  MAGAZINES  WILL  AT  ONCE  BE 
FLOODED." 

This  last  sentence,  printed  In  capitals  to  give  It  em- 
phasis, the  commandant  at  Strasbourg  could  not  un- 
derstand. To  flood  the  magazines  meant  the  loss  of 
a  million  marks;  besides,  why  should  It  be  necessary? 
What  possible  danger  could  threaten  those  great 
ammunition  store-houses,  burled  deep  beneath  walls 
of  granite,  protected  from  every  conceivable  mishap, 
and  whose  keys  hung  always  above  his  desk?  He 
was  completely  baffled;  worse  than  that,  he  felt  him- 
self shaken  and  unnerved  In  face  of  this  mysterious 
peril. 

A  copy  of  this  order  was  sent  to  every  fortress  in 
Germany,  and  it  Is  therefore  not  remarkable  that, 
three  days  after  It  was  issued.  It  should  be  In  the  hands 
of  M.  Delcasse.  He  read  It  with  a  lively  pleasure. 
He  was  beginning  to  enjoy  life  again.  He  knew 
that  the  tone  of  his  ultimatum  had  astonished  the 
German  ambassador;  but  he  also  knew  that,  while  the 
German  press  still  talked  of  the  national  honour  and 


424  THE  DESTROYER 

of  Germany's  duty  to  Morocco,  the  Inner  circle  about 
the  Emperor  was  distinctly  111  at  ease.  The  Em- 
peror himself  had  been  Invisible  for  some  days,  and 
was  reported  to  be  suffering  with  a  severe  cold. 

After  reading  the  order,  Delcasse  summoned  Mar- 
beau. 

**  How  do  your  plans  shape  themselves  ? "  he 
asked. 

"Admirably,  sir,"  answered  the  wireless  chief. 
**  We  shall  be  ready  to  start  to-morrow.'* 

"  When  Is  the  test  to  take  place?  " 

"  If  everything  goes  well,  one  week  from  yester- 
day, at  noon." 

**  You  must  use  great  care.  The  Germans  are  on 
their  guard.  Here  is  something  that  will  Interest 
you." 

Marbeau  took  the  order  and  read  it  carefully. 

"  If  the  magazines  are  flooded,"  Delcasse  pointed 
out,  "  we  can  do  nothing." 

"  It  will  be  something  to  have  occasioned  the  de- 
struction of  so  much  ammunition,"  Marbeau  re- 
joined; "  but  we  are  not  taking  that  chance.  All  our 
instruments  will  be  tuned  and  tested  before  we  start. 
The  Germans  will  hear  those  signals  but  once." 

A  little  tremour  passed  across  Delcasse's  face. 

"You  believe  in  this  invention?"  he  asked. 
"  You  have  investigated  It?  " 


STRASBOURG  425 

Marbeau  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  know  nothing  more  of  it  than  you  do,  sir.  M, 
Vard  tells  me  nothing,  shows  me  nothing,  persists  in 
working  alone.  He  is  most  jealous  of  it.  But  yes 
—  I  believe;  when  I  remember  the  twenty-fifth  of 
September,  I  cannot  but  believe !  '* 

Delcasse  was  pacing  to  and  fro,  his  hands  behind 
him. 

"  Sometimes  I  doubt,  Marbeau,"  he  said. 
"  Sometimes  I  doubt.  The  destruction  of  L^  Liber te 
may  have  been  one  of  those  strange  coincidences 
which  sometimes  happen.  And  sometimes  I  hesi- 
tate; sometimes  I  draw  back  before  the  idea  of  this 
demonstration.  For  Morocco  we  no  longer  need  it; 
I  have  in  my  possession  a  paper  which  will  win  that 
battle  for  us.  But  then,  when  I  falter,  the  thought 
of  France's  future  nerves  me.  So  I  stand  aside  and 
let  the  test  proceed.  But  I  warn  you  again,  Mar- 
beau, to  be  most  careful.  Do  not  neglect  to  pro- 
vide a  way  of  escape.  Failure  this  time  is  of  little 
consequence  —  we  can  always  try  again ;  but  under 
no  circumstances  must  this  machine  fall  into  th^ 
hands  of  Germany;  and  for  you  and  for  Vard  it  must 
be  death  before  capture.  He  must  not  be  taken 
alive." 

"  I  understand,  sir,"  said  Marbeau,  quietly. 

"If  you  think  Strasbourg  too  difficult,  it  is  not  too 


426  THE  DESTROYER 

late  to  draw  back.  It  was,  perhaps,  unwise  for  me 
to  select  it.'* 

"  The  more  difficult  it  is,  the  more  will  it  dismay 
the  enemy,"  Marbeau  pointed  out.  "  Let  us  try 
Strasbourg,  at  least.  If  we  fail  there,  we  can  try 
again  somewhere  else." 

"  Well,  I  agree.  Remember,  you  are  not  to  spare 
expense." 

"  We  have  had  to  purchase  two  houses  in  order  to 
be  quite  secure." 

*'  Purchase  a  dozen,  if  you  need  them.  The  date, 
you  say — " 

"  Is  one  week  from  yesterday." 

"And  the  hour?" 

"  The  hour  of  noon." 

Delcasse  turned  to  the  day  on  his  desk  calendar, 
and  wrote  a  large  "  12  "  upon  it. 

"  Adieu,  then,  Marbeau,"  he  said,  and  held  out 
his  hand.     "  My  prayers  go  with  you !  " 

Fronting  on  the  Zurichstrasse,  some  half  mile 
from  the  arsenal  at  Strasbourg,  stands  a  great  to- 
bacco manufactory,  covering  two  blocks  and  employ- 
ing a  thousand  people.  These  men  and  women  and 
children  live  for  the  most  part  in  the  crooked  little 
streets  of  the  neighbourhood,  for  the  hours  of  work 
are  long,  and  to  walk  back  and  forth  from  a  distance 
not  to  be  thought  of.     When  a  family  has  managed 


STRASBOURG  427 

to  scrape  together  a  little  capital,  more  often  than 
not  the  head  of  it  opens  a  tiny  shop,  while  the 
younger  members  keep  on  working  at  the  factory 
until  the  business  has  established  itself.  Then  the 
family  takes  a  step  upward  in  social  grade. 

In  a  little  room  back  of  such  a  shop  in  the  Hen- 
nenstrasse,  on  the  morning  of  a  day  late  in  October, 
three  men  sat  down  to  breakfast.  It  was  a  silent 
meal,  for  each  of  the  three  was  preoccupied.  They 
were  roughly  dressed  in  the  blouses  and  coarse  trou- 
sers of  labourers,  and  their  faces  were  covered  with 
a  week's  stubble  of  beard.  One  was  white-haired, 
old,  and  seemingly  very  feeble;  but  the  other 
two  were  in  the  prime  of  life.  At  last  the  meal  was 
finished,  and  the  two  younger  men  pushed  back  their 
chairs  and  looked  at  each  other;  then  they  looked  at 
their  companion,  who,  with  vacant  eyes,  was  staring 
at  the  opposite  wall  so  intently  that  the  othe;*  two  in- 
voluntarily glanced  around  at  it. 

"  It  is  time  for  you  to  go,  Lieutenant,"  said  one  of 
the  men,  in  a  low  voice,  **  Tell  me  again  what  you 
have  to  do,  so  that  I  may  be  sure  there  is  no  mis- 
take." 

**  What  I  have  to  do  is  this,  General,"  said  the 
other:  "  from  here,  I  go  to  the  house  we  know  of, 
taking  a  circuitous  route,  loitering  on  the  way,  and 
making  certain  that  I  am  not  followed.  If  I  find 
myself  followed,  I  will  pass  this  shop,  dropping  my 


428  THE  DESTROYER 

handkerchief  in  front  of  it  and  then  turning  back  to 
pick  it  up.  If  I  am  not  followed,  I  enter  the  other 
house,  mount  to  the  roof  and  make  sure  that  every- 
thing Is  in  order.  At  ten  minutes  to  twelve,  I  hoist 
into  place  the  two  arms  to  which  our  wires  are  se- 
cured, stretching  them  tight  by  means  of  the  winch 
which  we  have  provided,  and  then  I  at  once  start  the 
clockwork.  I  then  descend,  make  my  way  to  the 
tram-station,  and  take  a  third-class  ticket  to  Colmar, 
where  I  will  await  you  at  Valentin's  cabaret.  If  you 
do  not  arrive  by  sundown,  I  am  to  go  on  to  Paris  to 
make  my  report." 

"  That  is  right.     You  have  your  passport?  *' 

"Yes." 

"  Let  me  see  your  watch.'' 

They  compared  watches  and  found  that  they  both 
showed  twenty  minutes  past  ten. 

"  Adieu,  then,"  said  the  elder  man;  "  and  let  there 
be  no  failure." 

"  Trust  me.  General !  "  and  the  Lieutenant  saluted 
and  went  out  through  the  shop. 

"  And  now,  M.  Vard,"  said  Marbeau,  in  a  low 
tone,  "  the  hour  has  come." 

The  old  man  nodded,  and  together  they  left  the 
room.  Marbeau  stopped  to  secure  the  door,  then 
followed  Vard  up  to  the  first  landing,  where  there 
was  another  heavy  door,  which  the  Frenchman  also 
bolted;  so  with  the  next  landing  and  the  next.     He 


STRASBOURG  429 

smiled  grimly  as  he  thought  of  M.  Delcasse's  warn- 
ing to  leave  open  a  road  of  escape  I  He  had,  in- 
deed, provided  such  a  road,  but  he  carried  it  in  his 
pocket. 

At  last  they  stood  in  a  tiny  room  under  the  ridge 
of  the  roof.  It  was  lighted  by  a  single  dormer,  and, 
looking  out  through  this,  one  could  see  over  the 
house-tops,  half  a  mile  away,  the  grim  wall  of  the 
arsenal.  Before  the  dormer  stood  a  table,  to  which 
was  bolted  a  metal  framework,  supporting  the  box, 
with  its  sides  of  glass  half-covered  with  tin-foil.  It 
was  mounted  on  a  pivot,  and  from  it  two  heavy  wires 
ran  to  a  key  such  as  telegraphers  use,  and  then  down 
to  a  series  of  powerful  batteries  standing  on  the  floor. 

"  You  are  sure  it  is  all  right?  "  asked  Marbeau, 
almost  in  a  whisper. 

For  answer,  Vard  closed  a  switch,  opened  the  key 
and  then  depressed  it  slowly.  There  was  a  crackle 
of  electricity,  and  a  low  humming  like  that  of  a  giant 
top. 

"  No,  no  I  "  gasped  Marbeau,  and  snatched  the 
switch  open. 

The  inventor  smiled. 

"  There  is  no  danger,*'  he  said,  "  until  the  other 
current  is  turned  on." 

Marbeau's  face  was  livid  and  beaded  with  per- 
spiration.    He  wiped  it  with  a  shaking  hand. 

**  Nevertheless  you  startled  me,''  he  said.     "  The 


430  THE  DESTROYER 

sound  the  machine  makes  has  a  frightful  menace  in 
it !  "  Then  he  looked  at  his  watch.  "  It  is  now 
eleven." 

Vard  nodded,  and  bent  again  above  his  apparatus, 
touching  it  here  and  there  with  the  touch  of  a  lover 
—  tightening  a  wire,  examining  a  contact,  testing  the 
vibrator.  .  .  . 

His  usual  pale  face  was  flaming  with  excitement, 
and  his  eyes  shone  with  a  strange  fire. 

Marbeau  glanced  at  him  uneasily,  then  stared  out 
at  the  grey  wall  of  the  arsenal.  Upon  its  summit  a 
sentry  walked  to  and  fro  with  the  precision  of  a  ma- 
chine. High  above  him  flapped  the  imperial  flag  of 
Germany,  displaying  its  eagles  and  complacent  motto. 
Marbeau,  like  every  Frenchman,  considered  that  flag 
an  insult,  for  the  lower  arm  of  its  cross  bore  the  date 
"  1870,"  and  he  stared  out  at  it  now,  dreaming  of 
the  future,  dreaming  of  the  day  when  France  should 
tear  it  down.  .  .  . 

Vard  touched  him  on  the  arm. 

**  I  should  like  to  see  the  plan  of  the  fort  again," 
he  said. 

Marbeau  opened  his  shirt,  and  from  a  little  oil- 
skin bag  produced  a  square  of  tracing-paper.  He 
unfolded  it  and  handed  it  to  the  inventor. 

"  This  is  the  side  toward  us,'*  he  said.  "  There 
are  the  magazines,  the  main  one  being  here  in  the 
centre." 


STRASBOURG  431 

With  a  nod  of  understanding,  Vard  carried  the 
drawing  to  the  window  and  compared  it  carefully 
with  the  stretch  of  wall,  swinging  his  pivoted  machine 
from  side  to  side  to  be  sure  that  its  range  was  am- 
ple. Then  he  refolded  the  map  and  returned  it  to 
Marbeau. 

**  It  must  be  almost  the  hour,"  he  said. 

With  a  start,  Marbeau  pulled  out  his  watch.  It 
showed  fifteen  minutes  to  twelve.  Then,  watch  in 
hand,  he  stood  gazing  out  at  the  bastion.  Four 
minutes  passed,  five,  six,  seven.  .  .  . 

Suddenly  from  the  fort  came  the  deep  boom  of 
an  alarm  gun.  A  minute  later,  a  file  of  men  ap- 
peared upon  the  summit  of  the  bastion;  a  gate,  away 
to  the  right,  swung  open  and  an  armed  battalion 
marched  out  at  the  double-quick. 

**  The  signal !  "  gasped  Marbeau.  "  It  is  the  sig- 
nal!    Their  wireless  men  have  picked  it  up  I  " 

Again  the  alarm  gun  boomed  sullenly,  and  they 
could  hear  the  faint,  shrill  calling  of  a  bugle.  Then 
came  the  distant  thunder  of  the  answering  guns  from 
the  forts  about  the  town;  from  the  streets  rose  ex- 
cited voices,  the  clatter  of  running  feet.  .  .  . 

One  minute  —  two  —  three  — 

"Now!"  said  Marbeau,  snapped  shut  his  watch 
and  thrust  it  into  his  pocket. 

Vard,  his  face  twitching,  closed  the  switch  and 
touched  the  key.     Again  came  the  sharp  crackle  of 


432  THE  DESTROYER 

flame,  the  deep  hum  of  the  vibrator.  Marbeau,  the 
marrow  frozen  In  his  bones  but  with  the  sweat  pour- 
ing from  his  face,  stared  out  —  and  then,  close  be- 
side him,  came  a  white  burst  of  flame  —  the  horrible 
odour  of  burning  flesh  — 

He  jerked  around  to  see  Vard  fallen  forward 
above  the  table,  while  about  his  hands  played  those 
livid  tongues  of  fire.  .  .  . 

Half  an  hour  before  midnight  of  that  day,  a  man, 
roughly  dressed,  with  a  stubble  of  beard  masking  his 
face,  appeared  at  the  Ministry  of  Marine,  was  passed 
at  once  by  the  guard  at  the  entrance  and  made  his 
way  quickly  to  the  oflice  of  M.  Delcasse.  He  tapped 
at  the  door,  which  was  Instantly  opened  by  the  Minis- 
ter himself. 

"  Ah,  Marbeau,"  he  said,  quietly.  "  Come  in. 
We  have  failed,  then?  " 

"  Yes,  we  have  failed,"  groaned  Marbeau,  and 
sank  Into  a  chair. 

Delcasse  touched  him  gently  on  the  shoulder. 

"  Do  not  take  it  so  much  to  heart,"  he  said. 
"  There  was  something  wrong,  perhaps,.  We  can 
try  again — " 

"  No,  we  cannot  try  again,"  and  Marbeau*s  face 
was  piteous. 

"  Vard  is  not  captured !  " 

"No;  he  is  dead." 


STRASBOURG  433 

"  But  his  instrument  —  his  Invention?  " 

"  Is  destroyed,  fused,  burnt  to  a  mere  mass  of 
metal,"  and  Marbeau  told  the  story  of  that  last  mo- 
ment. 

"But  what  happened?  What  occurred?"  asked 
the  Minister  dazedly. 

'*  I  do  not  know  —  I  was  staring  at  the  fort.  He 
may  have  had  a  seizure  and  fallen  across  his  instru- 
ment, or  he  may  have  broken  the  circuit  in  some  way 
—  displaced  a  wire,  perhaps  —  and  received  the  full 
shock  himself.  It  was  over  In  an  Instant.  He  was 
dead  when  I  dragged  him  away." 

For  some  time  Delcasse  walked  thoughtfully  up 
and  down. 

'*  You  could  not,  by  any  possibility,  reconstruct 
it?  "  he  asked  at  last. 

**  I  fear  not,  sir;  he  told  me  nothing.  I  do  not 
even  know  the  principle  involved." 

Again  Delcasse  paced  back  and  forth;  then  he  sat 
down  before  his  desk,  with  a  gesture  of  acquiescence. 

"  So  that  dream  is  ended,"  he  said.  "  It  was  too 
great,  no  doubt,  to  be  accomplished.  God  willed 
otherwise.  But  at  least  we  are  richer  than  we  were. 
From  time  to  time  we  will  terrify  these  Germans  with 
a  little  blast  of  wireless.  That  will  be  amusing,  and 
it  may  cost  them  some  ammunition.  And  in  the 
struggle  over  Morocco  France  wins  I  That  is  as- 
sured!    Good  night.  General.     You  need  rest." 


434  THE  DESTROYER 

All  the  world  knows  now,  of  course,  that  France 
did  win.  On  November  fourth,  the  question  of  her 
supremacy  in  Morocco  was  settled  once  for  all  by  the 
treaty  signed  at  Berlin.  When  Europe  learned  the 
terms  of  that  treaty,  it  was  shaken  with  amazement. 
For  Germany  had  receded,  after  swearing  that  she 
would  never  recede ;  had  guaranteed  to  France  a  free 
hand  in  Morocco,  with  the  right  to  establish  a  pro- 
tectorate if  she  thought  proper;  —  and  in  exchange 
for  all  this  received  a  small  strip  of  the  French 
Congo!  Yes,  there  was  one  other  thing  she  re- 
ceived of  which  the  treaty  made  no  mention.  When 
Herr  von  Kiderlen-Waechter  had  affixed  his  signa- 
ture, Ambassador  Cambon,  who  acted  for  France, 
gave  him  silently  an  envelope  sealed  with  a  black 
seal.  He  glanced  at  the  signature  of  the  paper  it 
contained,  and  placed  it  carefully  in  his  pocket.  An 
hour  afterwards,  he  handed  it  to  his  Emperor. 

And  two  days  later,  Admiral  Heinrich  Pachmann, 
returning  from  an  audience  with  the  Emperor,  went 
quietly  to  his  quarters.  At  the  usual  hour,  his  aide, 
coming  for  orders,  rapped  at  his  door.  There  was 
no  answer,  and,  opening  the  door,  the  aide  glanced 
inside.  Pachmann  lay  sprawled  across  the  floor,  a 
bullet  in  his  heart.  His  stiff  hand  gripped  a  duelling- 
pistol  —  a  handsome  weapon,  which  bore,  chased 
along  its  barrel,  the  motto  of  his  house,  "  I  love  and 
lobeyl" 


^  ^la  THB  I^AST  DATE 

-"""^^tr     95     CENTS 
AN    'N.T.AL  J^'^o".  .?.U^^^^ 

WILL-  BE   ASSESSE  ^^^  DUE^  JHE  ^^^^ 

DAY     AND    TO     $^- 
OVERDUE. 


DEC  9    ^^'^^ 


19  1935 
:  p    8  1936 


«/4/V 


e 


1933 


4^^^. 


WW   29  V 

JUN   26  1933 
ftPR   20  1934 
WW    6   ^934 


Ll)-i- 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  UBRARY 


